


waves at the event horizon

by haekass



Series: among the stars [2]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: (Not the sexy kind), (yes I promise), Alien Technology, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Everyone is Queer, Found Family, Genetic Engineering, Happy Ending, Hongjoong pov, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Multi, Murder, Piracy, Rebellion, Slavery, Space Pirates, Technobabble, Theft, Trans Character, Very Gleeful and Gory Murder, do not mess with one you will have his seven boyfriends after you, eventual ot8 - Freeform, everyone is whipped for each other, genetic modifications, they also love each other very very very much
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:47:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26272840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haekass/pseuds/haekass
Summary: He had never known a life other than being tribute, until he suddenly was not. Finding who he was as a person? Difficult, at best. Finding his crew? Possible, he already had one by random chance. Threading their love for him and his love for them together? Very possible.Helping a galaxy wide rebellion where he and his crew would have to lie (they did, constantly), cheat (equally as often as lying), steal (they enjoy it, perhaps a bit too much), and kill (sometimes necessary, sometimes fun, sometimes revenge, but always in a way that is meant to deter others from being part of their kill list)?They could do that easily. They might even do some of that for free.(concurrent with the space between here and there)
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Choi San/Jeong Yunho/Jung Wooyoung/Kang Yeosang/Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa/Song Mingi, Choi Jongho/Everyone, Choi Jongho/Kim Hongjoong, Choi San/Everyone, Choi San/Kim Hongjoong, Jeong Yunho/Everyone, Jeong Yunho/Kim Hongjoong, Jung Wooyoung/Everyone, Jung Wooyoung/Kim Hongjoong, Kang Yeosang/Everyone, Kang Yeosang/Kim Hongjoong, Kim Hongjoong/Everyone, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa, Kim Hongjoong/Song Mingi, Park Seonghwa/Everyone, Song Mingi/Everyone
Series: among the stars [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1908757
Comments: 19
Kudos: 46





	1. Intro: Long Journey

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I should apologize about how this starts off lol All I can say for myself is that things will get better in the first chapter. Always darkest before the dawn and such, but not exactly how I thought my entrance into the Ateez fandom would start out.
> 
> If you want to know time conversions and additional info about where/when this story takes place, this is an additional story in the same universe as the space between here and there and these both will run concurrently with each other, so I will post chapters on the same day. This is current with the latest chapter, but I ask for your understanding in the wait for this story's first chapter bc I can't exactly post about a 40k chapter and expect people to read it. (idk some might but I had to split it just for my own sake.) If you don't feel like slogging through it, time conversions will be in chapter 2(ish).
> 
> Hope you enjoy~

Everything in his body hurt. His skin, his muscles, his bones, and there were spots of pain in places that he had never known one could hurt.

He tried to breathe, each breath of frigid air feeling as though it was shredding his insides, and he was grateful to the ancestors that he had not been given his rations the previous _farn_.

The wave of pain passed, leaving him spent and worn, feeling as though he was aged far beyond his time. He kept his eyes closed against the bright lights of the medical area, knowing from experience that opening his eyes would only serve to bring the pain back faster. The medicals were talking amongst themselves, sounding like engines that were on the edge of being non-functional until they began moving closer and he could begin to understand actual words. The medicals of course knew he was awake – they all were – but he kept his eyes closed.

“We will need to alter the treatment schedule for that one,” one of the medicals said clearly.

He did not dare open his eyes.

“They are in the same group?”

“Yes.”

Even through his pain, he felt some emotion of concern.

“The other must be brought to completion, as this one is complete with the treatments.”

He wondered – hoped, possibly – if the medicals were referring to him. If he was complete with the painful treatments, then perhaps his time strapped down to a medical bed were coming to an end. If he had survived it and was finally treated for the strange sickness, then perhaps Two was also coming towards his own completion and would be well.

“Very well. How many others are complete?”

“None. He is the first, but others of the initial group will also be complete soon, perhaps within the next four _farn_.”

“I will inform the captain, then.”

He felt his bonds loosen, but he still kept his eyes closed. He did not want the pain to return just yet.

There was a sharp jab on his right shoulder that made him wince.

“Get up, you will be taken back down,” he was told.

He nodded slightly in acknowledgement of the orders. He stayed unmoving until the last of the straps had been removed before attempting to roll onto his side. His body spasmed and he had to bite the insides of his lips to keep from crying out with the pain. Setting his feet down on the floor made his head swim and stomach lurch sickeningly, but he forcefully opened his eyes, keeping them on the floor. He had learned long ago how to keep a neutral expression on his face, no matter what was happening.

Tributes were not supposed to have emotions.

“Come.”

He nodded slightly, wondering if his head would simply fall off his shoulders if he moved too much. The pain was coming back, blessedly not as strong as it had been, but every step was still agonizing, sending random spasms through the muscles of his body.

The pain grew with every breath he took, but he kept his body upright and moving through force of will. He did not want any punishment to fall upon him if he were to do anything other than what he was told to do. The prison level was quiet as it always was, the lights darkened to simulate a sleeping cycle for them. He waited for the door to be opened and quickly moved through it before the guard decided that he was not moving fast enough and shoved him.

He had barely moved inside his cell when the door closed with a gust of air behind him and the guard stalked back down the silent hallway.

“One?” Two quietly whispered.

He breathed out a soft affirmation, stumbling towards the sleeping pad, bare aside from Two’s body upon it, wrapped in a thin covering.

Two’s hands were soft and gentle as Two helped him sink down onto the sleeping pad. It was barely warm, but better than sleeping on the freezing floor. He shuddered as Two pulled him close, allowing their body heat to be shared between them.

“You can cry if you need to,” Two breathed against his hair. “The guards cannot see you.”

He swallowed a scream as his body spasmed and released, his breath fast against Two’s chest, and he felt tears leaking out of his eyes. Two whispered soft reassurances into his ears that he could not be seen and that the guards held no interest as he silently cried from the pain.

He wondered if the pain would ever truly go away.

Once his tears had ceased and his breath had relaxed slightly, he tried to push himself more into Two’s embrace. Two was so _warm_.

“Sleep,” Two urged him, hugging him close under the covering.

“How long?” he whispered, his voice cracking the slightest bit.

“They had just turned down the lighting when you were returned.”

He gave Two an acknowledging hum, his mind flitting across the brief wish that something would change, something to where he did not have to endure the painful treatments, or the constant possibility of insults or having Two taken away from him. Another breath of cold, jagged air in, and he let himself drop into a healing sleep.

/

The pain was even worse than it had been many _farn_ before.

His entire body and mind felt as if it was being ripped apart particle by particle, but he did not allow his pained screams to flow out of his mouth as he wished he could. The searing heat that followed the blood paths through his body made him almost forget how cold he normally was.

His body seized up, and he wondered for a moment if he was experiencing his death. He could not breathe, he could not see past the whiteness of the medical area’s lights, he could not move, and he could not even feel his mind working. Yet he could not bring himself to welcome his death and the ceasing of his pain.

_You_ , a voice whispered through him. _You are mine_.

Was he being sold? But that almost sounded like Two’s soothing voice…

_I don’t want to go_.

What an odd thought. Where would he possibly go?

_Wrong body, wrong everything, wrong, wrong, wrong!_

What was wrong?

_Dull lighting – what a piece of junk!_

What was?

_I know you._

Knew who?

_Always beautiful, always looked at but never seen until…_

He was not beautiful –

_Nothing more satisfying than a sharp blade._

In an instant, his body went lax, his thoughts stopping. Was he dead?

_Lives within lives, wheels within wheels, threads being woven together. You still have much to do._

He wanted to open his eyes but was also afraid to do so. He did not want to discover that he had indeed met his death and had turned into a disassociated spirit that could not move with the ancestors.

_They wait for you._

Who waited? Nothing was making sense.

_Your horizon awaits. Waves will be made in times of change._

He had lived most of his life in space. What did a world’s horizon or large seas mean to him?

Just as quickly as his thoughts had stopped, they had restarted, and the pain flared back into life, wiping out all other thoughts. His head was pushed to the side, pain exploding along every moving muscle and joint and along his skin. He felt his stomach heave and burning liquid spill out of his mouth as he fought weakly against the bonds that held him in place.

He wished that the pain would stop soon.

More liquid spilled out of his mouth and he kept his eyes closed as his mind screamed with the pain he could not let himself physically express until everything was quiet and dark.

His eyes suddenly opened without warning that he was going to do so.

Many – eight, he counted – paths before him, all of them leading towards a large body of water that reflected shafts of the bright light that surrounded him.

“You know what you need,” a voice said, startling him.

This… person… was not known to him. Thin, hunched over but still tall, their face suitable to appear on any body no matter the sex, elderly hair, and dark eyes that held no pupil, but glinted as if they held the entire universe within their gaze.

“What is that?” he finally gained the courage to ask.

The dark eyes stared at him for an uncomfortable length of time. “Your life ends, your life begins anew. It is the way.”

He blinked slowly. “I do not understand.”

“Your path now flows,” the person told him. “Find your horizon, do not fear the waves.”

With that, he was suddenly, painfully, back in his own mind, back on board the ship he had spent almost ten cycles on, the paths and water nothing more than a distant, fleeting memory.

His eyes were still closed, and he appreciated and loathed the time alone and unbothered. Had he actually died?

The cold air he brought through his burning throat and into his lungs disagreed with that thought. He heard the pounding of his heartbeat in his ears as well, which had to mean that he was alive. Surely the ancestors would not be so cruel as to inflict more pain upon him as a spirit.

His mind hurt so badly that it seemed to magnify all of the other pains his body held.

When would the pain end? He longed to be back in the cell he shared with Two, but he did not know if he would be able to make the journey back down to the prison level. Was this treatment finished?

He could recognize the weariness in his mind that would usually take him to sleep, and he wanted that soothing comfort of dreams to avoid the pain he felt.

“Wake up,” a voice said as a hand met his cheek.

The pain flared again, but his bonds did not loosen. Deep in his mind, he cursed at the medicals, at the guards, at the life he had been brought into, at this sickness he had to assume that he had, at the weariness, at everything in the space of a breath. As he breathed out, he released the resentment he felt. He had been born tribute, and if that had been determined by the ancestors to be his life, there was nothing he could do about it and he would die as tribute.

His next breath in was sharp when the pain pulsed through his body for a heartbeat. He did not – _could not_ – accept the thought of subsuming himself into that terrifying blankness he had seen among so many tributes, their spirits gone long before their bodies ceased. It would be a relief in a way if he could, not caring or bothering to understand what was happening to his physical form and far past any pain.

But still he stayed. He had a responsibility to Two to remain present, and he took that responsibility with the intent and reverence others normally would only display towards the ancestors.

He wished he could sleep, but every time his mind began that journey, he would be slapped back into wakefulness. He lost any sense of time he held, the standards passing by in a painful haze.

“Take them back down, the treatment is complete,” one of the medicals said.

Even the removal of the bonds across his body was painful.

How was he to walk back to the prison level when it felt as if he was as weak as a newborn? He could not expect the guards to have sympathy for his state and assist him. The others that also had their treatments would be in just as much pain as he. He moved when he was told to do so, his legs shaking and then collapsing underneath him as he stood up.

Even though he expected the physical punishment, it still hurt as the blow came across his head.

“Get up you useless thing.”

He had to swallow against the lurching of his stomach but made his way back onto his feet as quickly as he could, his entire body shaking. He did not want to discover what would happen to himself and Two if he passed out.

His shaking was getting worse by the time they reached the prison level, and he could barely hold himself upright as he stood next to his cell door. The door was _finally_ opened, but he had apparently not moved quickly enough for the guard.

He was shoved forward into the cell, and he stumbled, wincing as his knees took the full impact of the weight of his body. Two had moved to him quickly enough so that instead of his face encountering the floor, he connected with Two’s chest.

“Hurts,” he whimpered against Two.

Two made a soft, distressed noise and pulled him onto their sleeping pad. He did not want to cause Two distress, or to make him fearful of his own treatments, but he was in too much pain to try and cover it – not that it mattered when it came to Two, who could always tell his mood.

Finally, he was able to let sleep claim him.

/

The ship rocked slightly as it dropped into an atmosphere, waking him. Two was still asleep.

He did not know where they had arrived, but he could logically assume that since they were landing, he and the other children would be sent out to thieve at a market. That was the usual demand of them, their light bodies deemed fit for that use by the captain.

Two stirred a bit as they landed but slept on with a soft kiss from him. The comfort smoothed out the pressure in his own mind, the constant nearly overwhelming sensations fading back, and he wondered at that for a moment, that discomfort had stretched back to two or three, perhaps four, treatments over the past two _li fan_.

The hiss of life support ceasing got his attention, and he winced, his hands covering his ears. Pressure equalization was never a pleasant process for him when they landed or took off from a planet or moon. He pushed his fingers firmly against the sides of his face, dragging them across his skin. Sighing as he felt the _pop_ of a pressure change, he nudged himself closer to Two under their covering. The air that was rushing through was cold, but not much of a change from the cold air they were accustomed to, but it still stung at his eyes and nose a bit.

“Ones, assemble at your doors,” came the barked order, echoing down the hallway.

Two was pulled from sleep with a groan, and he leaned forward to press his lips to Two’s once more. “Sleep,” he urged. “I will return.”

Two nodded fractionally, dropping back into sleep as he stood up. Tucking the covering carefully around Two’s body, he waited at his door to be let out. He walked with the others down to the cargo hold, where the captain was finishing his orders.

“Use half at each market, both day and night, and keep their siblings to ensure their return. Rotate which ones you use as you are able so that they are not caught. Chang Ba already has far too much of our resources lining his pockets, I do not wish to give him more reason to acquire additional funds from them being discovered.”

“Yes Captain.”

“If they are caught, disavow all knowledge of them, kill the sibling and put the body into the seas. We can get more tribute if it is required.”

He clenched his jaw to keep any and all noises inside and then relaxed it, arranging his facial expression into neutrality.

“Yes Captain.”

He stayed still, looking at the floor as they were split into two groups and only raised his eyes enough to catch the movement of the guard’s hands.

“You, take these to the upper market, you to the lower market with these.”

As a hand that had waved towards his group came along with the upper market, he guessed that was where he would be expected to thieve. Looking around at the others of his smaller group, he noted that while they all were proficient at theft, he and the others of his group were known to be the best at it.

Obviously, the captain was attempting to recoup his losses to Chang Ba by using them to steal valuables from others. He glanced at the open cargo door as he heard the air displacement of a landing vessel.

“Outside,” the guard ordered.

Obediently, he and the others walked outside and onto the cargo runner as they were ordered to do so. Clutching his fingers together to get some warmth back into them, he tugged his provided face mask on. He looked over as a small form crashed into him after they had hit a small pocket of turbulent air. Five-One was struggling to remain upright, her young body more susceptible to the sharp movements. Catching her before she could fall and attract attention, he steadied her as she regained her balance by moving her feet slightly farther apart.

“My thanks,” she mouthed, to which he replied with a small nod as she pulled on her own face mask.

He kept a hand ready to catch Five-One again if she fell as they landed rather ungracefully, the cargo runner bouncing from side to side. He breathed through the slight irritation of being transported by inexperienced pilots, the sudden warm air that flooded the cargo runner assisting him with relaxing.

He was grateful that they were not expected to thieve in the coldness of where they had landed. His stomach growled from the delicious smells as they were instructed to filter themselves through the food vendors into their assigned market, returning to the cargo runner by sunset. He knew they would be provided with their rations of food cubes upon their return, but he wondered if he could possibly thieve a small meal for himself to allow him to give Two a few extra cubes.

He learned quickly that they were on Qinyan for the Night of Lanterns festival, which solved his puzzlement as to the surprisingly large markets. He had heard of the festival before, bits of conversation floating around him as though he did not exist that spoke of large markets, filling the entire city from end to end and what goods were assumed to be sold there.

It was still early enough that some vendors had yet to arrive, and he wandered around to understand the layout of the market. His clothing and demeanor marked him as tribute, and below the notices of most of the people busily moving around. He shuffled through, at times walking with purpose as if sent on a timed errand, other times just following some people just behind to make others assume that he was their tribute, always keeping his direction constant so that he would not cross the paths of the same vendors in too short of a time.

By midday, he had managed to thieve some items during the early hours, but his head was starting to hurt terribly. Biting his tongue to force his concentration, he slipped into the food vendor area. His eyes scanned the crowded vendors until he finally located a likely source for food. Allowing himself to be folded into the flow of movement, his light fingers grabbed at an already portioned meal off to the side of the vendor. He kept his head down and feet moving as the vendor exploded with curses at another person, accusing them of the theft, and creating enough of a distraction for him to grab a cup of freely offered water before he moved away and into the shadows with his stolen goods.

The water was gone before he had found a good hiding place, and he left the cup at a location where it would be easily returned to the proper vendor. Settling down inside a small space, one just large enough for him to squeeze into and still have some movement, he ate with a single-minded intenseness that only eased when he had scraped even the last of the juices at the bottom into his mouth.

His hiding place was just a bit too warm for him to want to doze off, and he was just about to move out of it when two large forms sat down right in front of him. Relaxing his muscles, he waited, hoping that his recent meal would keep his stomach from protesting too loudly and alerting these two to his presence. The two chatted among themselves through their short meal – and he was grateful that it was not any longer – and he waited an appropriate time before crawling out of his hiding location.

The day went on and on, but as it neared sunset, he made his way back to the cargo runner with his stolen items. It was less than he had expected of himself, but perhaps it would be just enough. Some of the others had already returned, and he paused at the edge of the doorway.

“Eight-One,” he said quietly, waiting for permission to enter.

“Enter.”

He stepped inside the runner and emptied his pockets under the watchful glare of the guards.

Officer Jad looked up at him, drumming fingers against the portable sled. “This is all? We expect better of you, Eight-One.”

“I also have information,” he softly replied before the guards could move to punish him.

“Convey it,” Officer Jad said. “If it is acceptable, I will allow you to escape unpunished.”

“Governor Li of Eight Points has sent a small force in secrecy to this world. They are to disrupt a vendor’s business as their main objective, but they are to also seek additional opportunities as they become aware of them.”

Officer Jad was silent for a moment, and he hoped that his information was worth sparing him punishment.

“That is acceptable. Join the others.”

He did not let the relief flood him until he was standing with the others who had already returned, his shoulders dropping a bit. They all stayed silent and still as they were expected, the cargo runner filling up with the others returning. Officer Jad seemed pleased enough with the amount brought in, no one receiving a punishment.

They were assembled back in the cargo hold and led back to the prison level, the cold seeping back into him. His mind was beginning to ache again as they stepped through the large, sturdy doors that had opened for them. The slight noise of the wind covered the whispers that were undoubtedly passed down the hallways of their return.

Two waited for him on their sleeping pad.

“We are on Qinyan for the Night of Lanterns,” he whispered to Two as he closed the distance between them, who nodded at the information and gathered his smaller hands together to warm them between his own larger ones. “Two markets, one upper, one lower in a warmer location.” He paused as the guard walked back by. “Be cautious, many are wary of anyone.”

Two made a soft noise. “For what reason?”

“There is talk in the markets of the Mandate moving.”

Two’s eyes went wide for a moment.

“What will that mean for us?” Two whispered to him.

He shrugged. “I would assume that nothing will change for us. We are far below the notice of the Mandate holders.”

“We are Zhou Li’s,” Two pointed out.

He tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement. He rarely gave any thought to his true owner. “It is still unlikely that anything in our world will change.” _I wish it would_ flashed through his mind and he had to ignore the flicker of want and yearning it produced. Odd thoughts such as that were occurring more frequently with each treatment. “We are simply his tributes that do not exist in that household.”

“Which market did you attend?”

“Upper,” he answered around a yawn. “I was fortunate and was able to thieve some food earlier as well so I am able to give you more food cubes than I normally can.”

Two breathed out, his lips twitching at the corners. “I am grateful.”

“You will need to be very alert and not be caught,” he warned. “The guards have orders that if anyone is caught, the sibling will be killed and the one that is caught will face an administrator alone.”

Two nodded solemnly. “I understand. I will not let you come to harm.”

He smiled softly. “Just as no harm will fall upon you.”

Two kissed his lips quickly, their promises held between them.


	2. Sunrise

He watched warily as the medicals walked down the hallway, checking their hand-held readers. He had wrapped the covering closely around himself to attempt to retain some warmth in his body, but it was only enough to keep him from constantly shivering.

Dread pooled in his stomach as the medical stopped in front of his cell, but he forced a calm expression onto his face and kept his eyes trained onto the shoes.

“Where is Eight-Two?” The medical asked sharply to the guards.

“At the market.”

He gritted his teeth slightly as an impulse to wrap his hands around the medical’s throat flickered through him, and he took a silent breath of air in to calm himself.

“We should have been consulted before sending this last group out,” the medical snapped.

“Bring your complaints to the Captain,” the guard returned, sounding completely disinterested.

He did not want to admit to the relief that flooded through him as the medical and guard moved away without taking him from the cell. He wrapped his arms around his legs and set his chin down on his knees. He could do nothing more than watch as Five-Two and Six-Three were forced along the hallway to join the others the medical had already taken out. From having heard the brief struggle earlier, he could reasonably assume that one of the girls of Twenty-Three had also been taken out by the medicals.

“Where is Four-One?”

He looked through the holes in the cells, seeing the medical standing in front of Four’s cell.

“Officer Tu’s quarters.”

He blinked as anger seemed to suffuse him, pressing in like knives.

_Disgusting pervert!_

He glanced around, curious as to who would dare utter such a thing about a superior officer, but the guard did not react. The medical was becoming red in the face, but their lips remained shut, pinched together tightly in anger.

“Very well. Three-Two is the last to be required,” the medical finally ground out. “We _will_ bring our complaints to the Captain, as requested.”

“Go ahead,” the guard replied. “Your presence here is not necessary, and I am certain the Captain will tell you as such.”

The medical snorted. “Then we will bring forth our complaints to Zhou Li if necessary,” they said, walking away from the guard and quickly back towards the entrance to the prison level.

The guard blew their breath out in irritation. “Useless _shabi_ ,” the guard muttered, their voice only loud enough for him to catch. “Get moving,” they barked at Three-Two, pushing her along.

“Lights out,” they said in a much louder voice a few moments later, one that echoed down the hallway.

“Lights out,” the guards from the entrance repeated back in acknowledgement.

He laid down as he was supposed to, his eyes closing as all of the lights aside from the dull red ones turned off. He knew he would not be able to sleep for some time still even though he had attended both the day market and the night market before then. He could feel the weariness and the muscle aches that accompanied his being awake for far too long, and the tickles in his head that would begin to result in sneezing if he could not sleep soon, but his mind was going over and over itself with concern for Two and for himself. If the medicals were taking others out, that had to mean the treatments were starting again.

He tucked his hands under his arms as he made a small mental exercise for himself. Twenty-five children were at the market, Four-One had been taken by Officer Tu earlier to be used for his recreational activities, and he had just witnessed Three-One, Five-Two, and Six-Three walk by. One of Twenty-Three was taken out, and he knew he had heard three other doors open before the medical appeared at the cell opposite his to remove Nine-Two. Eight of them would be in the medical area, as Two and Four-One were unavailable to make the full ten that were normally taken for treatments.

He ran his thumb over the jagged and rough edges of a fingernail he had broken earlier as he thought. He tried to recall, to the best of his abilities, the previous order of treatments to find if there was a recognizable pattern he could use to determine when his own treatment would come. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he wondered if any further treatments would settle the feeling of his mind being _too full_ or if it would increase. He felt emotions far too much already, but the treatments made it worse and it made him feel as if he was being overwhelmed.

Another cold gust of air blew through the prison level, and he curled in on himself a bit more to try and retain some warmth. Ever since they had landed on Qinyan, it felt as though his hands and feet were about to fall off at any moment, and the tip of his nose would often be numb within a few moments of his arrival. The clothing that all of them had was far too thin to ward off the chill that surrounded one of Qinyan’s poles, and he desperately wanted Two’s body heat that would curl around him like a large, warm covering.

He thought he had heard a piece of conversation among the medicals through the pain of his last treatment, the words a jumbled mess in his ears, but warning that he would not be able to be used for thieving after his next treatment clear in his mind.

The markets made him vaguely ill the more he was there, barely able to concentrate from the overwhelming inputs and feelings and persistent ache in his mind. If he would be spared that, he would thank the ancestors for the rest of his days. He did not know how many of those days he would continue to have, but he would thank them for the ones he still had. He and the others were being treated for a mysterious sickness – they all knew enough to not ask questions about what had gone so wrong in their physical bodies that required the painful treatments – so it was likely to assume that if the treatments were unsuccessful, they would die. Several others already had, he knew.

Running his thumb over his fingernails, he spared a brief prayer to the ancestors that they look after Two while he was at the markets. Two had as many treatments as he did, but Two was having a more challenging time than he while at the markets. He supposed that the treatments for Two had many of the same results with inputs and overwhelming sensations and emotions as they did for him; but Two had also recently grown taller _again_ , leaving Two hungry and irritable from their poor nutrition along with being extremely tired all the time. He tried to give Two as many extra food cubes from his portions as he could spare without bringing himself harm, and it seemed to help Two a bit. It was not much, but it kept Two much calmer than Twenty-Three-Two.

After a few more moments of straining his mind, he finally gave up attempting to reconstruct the treatment schedules. He would forget someone, or his thoughts would be interrupted by unrelated things. He could feel his mind beginning to quiet and slipped into sleep.

* * *

A loud, cracking noise echoed down the hall, waking him immediately. His body jerked, his heart suddenly beating too fast and his hands shaking against his side. He forced himself to stay still as he heard the guards run past his cell. Once their footsteps had passed, he rolled over and crouch-walked to the door of his cell to try and observe what was happening. Yawning widely, he had to wonder how long he had been asleep.

He winced as the loud cracks happened again, sounding much like a remembered electrical strike in an atmosphere. There were hurriedly suppressed noises of fear and cries all along the hall, and he felt his head swim as there was the pressing _feeling_ of fear and panic all around his mind and body, far more than he had ever felt before. It was becoming difficult to breathe, to think, or to even remain upright, and he forced a deep breath of cold, sharp air into his lungs. The slight pain of the frigid air helped him focus, the overwhelming emotions starting to loosen their hold on him.

He waited by the door for some time, but… nothing further happened. There was the brief hint of voices towards the far end of the hallway, but they were gone soon enough.

“What is happening?” Ten-One hissed at him, looking terrified through the holes between their cells.

He shook his head and stumbled back towards the sleeping pad. “I do not know,” he admitted. He tried to slow his breathing from the fearful rapid rate, concern nearly choking him. He did not know what the noise was, what was happening, or why the guards had not returned from the entrance to the prison level. He gathered the covering around him and held it closed with his clasped hands to attempt to retain some warmth.

He could only pray that the ancestors would look favorably upon them, granting them a cease to their concerns or a swift and painless death.

He was no longer sleepy, even though he still felt the exhaustion, his body wound tight with fear reflexes. He had no sense of time other than feeling his own exhaustion, but the lighting was beginning to brighten, meaning it had to be close to sunrise. Sunrise meant the return of those at the markets, but those noises concerned him. Would Two be safe if he returned? Time seemed to pass with agonizing slowness, and every time he thought he had calmed enough to possibly attempt to sleep again, he would hear someone shuffle or whisper and his concern for Two would push sleep away again.

At some point, his fear reflexes calmed enough to let him relax and attempt to sleep once more, but his eyes opened as he heard the unmistakable sounds at the entrance of the hallway, meaning the others had returned. He felt as if his chest had constricted and loosened at the same time, and he sat up on the sleeping pad. He wondered why the guards had not stomped back down the hallway ahead of their returning siblings and the fear threatened to choke him once more. He dug his nails into the palm of his hand to give him something to concentrate on so he could regulate his breathing.

“Please return to your cell,” a voice said, echoing slightly. It did not sound like any of their normal guards – perhaps one of the crew was returning the others? That was unusual, and he dug his nails into his skin more. But then the words registered to his tired mind. None of the guards or the crew would _ever_ request something from them, they were only _ordered_. He frowned but shook his head. There was no possibility of a new crew member, and it was far too unlikely that anyone unknown to the crew would be aboard, which meant that one of the crew or a guard had requested an action for some reason.

There was a shuffle of feet, steps slowly coming nearer towards his cell, and he breathed out with relief as he saw Two stop at the door to their cell.

Two appeared as though he was unharmed and not insulted, but instead looked agitated and nervous in the way he stood, holding his hands behind his back. He was relieved, but Two’s nervousness seemed to be soaking into him. He forced himself to stay still and wait for Two to be let back into their cell. Two’s nerves always showed in his hands, while his own tended to fill his entire body with twitching and shakes. Two would quietly tease him about being small and needing to use all his available space for what stayed contained into Two’s hands, but he could see Two’s hands shaking slightly, more than could be explained by the cold.

Shifting his eyes off Two as he heard footsteps, he suddenly saw why Two was nervous and scared.

The tall, thin man with a dark face mask on was _not_ one of the guards. None of the guards or the crew wore face masks while on the ship. He had been on the ship for a long time, almost a full cycle longer than Two, and he knew most of the crew on sight.

This tall, thin man was a stranger.

A _stranger_ was moving around their ship unescorted. The stranger’s longer hair was pulled up into a simple knot, but as they moved down the hallway, he had to wonder if he was so tired he was beginning to imagine things. Parts of the stranger’s hair absorbed the dull lighting while other parts reflected some of it, giving the stranger’s hair a repeating pattern of barely visible stripes. As the stranger moved closer, he looked at the parts of the face that he could see, curious about the slightly darker patch of skin that ran diagonally along the stranger’s forehead. The dark patch interrupted the flow of the equally barely visible striping he could see continued across the stranger’s skin.

The stranger did not speak, but they did not need to. Their _presence_ spoke for them. The stranger moved with sure steps, non-hesitating movements of their arms and body, as if the stranger knew with absolute certainty that no one would dare strike at them. It felt as if he was watching a predator move along the hallway, and it was even enough to keep Twenty-Three-Two silent. He could not help but to stare, but he hurriedly dropped his eyes as the stranger met his eyes calmly.

He heard the door open and kept his gaze focused on Two’s shoes as Two stumbled into their cell. Surprisingly, the stranger made no move to shove Two along, simply waiting for Two to be fully in the cell before closing and locking the door once more. The stranger had not entered to punish him for the meeting of eyes, either.

Two collapsed down onto the sleeping pad, obviously caught in his fear reflexes. He could feel Two shaking under his hands as he patted Two’s shoulder and hair, trying to comfort him. The stranger continued opening doors for the other children, and he looked up to see where the stranger was.

A cold feeling settled over him as he saw that Five’s light was still off, but the stranger was already opening Three’s cell. He tried to not concern himself with others aside from himself and Two, but both of Five were just _so young_. Five-One could not have been any elder than fifteen cycles, still many cycles away from her Time of Change. Five-Two was even younger, barely old enough to be used for thieving, and neither one of them had been returned to their cell.

“Children, I ask for your cooperation for a short time. We are taking you to a place of safety where you will be free,” the stranger said.

His lips parted in confusion, but he closed them again before he could speak without permission.

Freedom? A place of safety?

The stranger walked back by, confusing him even more.

What was this stranger’s idea of _freedom_ or _safety_? Were they to be taken into the brothel of a House of time givers? Was this stranger’s idea of freedom to release their spirits from their bodies?

He frowned, rolling the words over in his mind. The stranger did not speak with the resignation that often came with attempting to cease someone’s suffering by ending their mortal life. They would be safe with the ancestors, but there was no hint of cruelty or resignation in the brief sentences, and he somehow _knew_ that the stranger was speaking truthfully.

Until he had further information, all he knew for certain was that they were in a precarious situation with no way out, even if they were being taken to a brothel of a House.

“Rest for now,” the stranger urged, their voice echoing down the hallway. “We will return for you.”

The stranger had barely locked the prison door behind them before noise exploded across the entire level. Wincing, he pressed the palms of his hands against his ears, everything sounding too close, too loud, too _fearful_.

Two gently tugged at his hands, and he felt immediately contrite. Two was attempting to bring him comfort even as Two was still nearly vibrating with his own fear reflexes. Taking a deep breath of cold air, he put his hands along Two’s cheeks and tried to focus his attention solely on Two to help push the overwhelming feelings back and away as Two softly stroked his larger hands over his face and ears, trying to block the noise.

They had discovered within the past two solar days that physical contact with each other helped to keep the constant, pressing inputs from being too overwhelming. Pulling Two down, they arranged themselves easily on their sleeping pad, leaving their dirty shoes on their feet but off the edge of the sleeping pad and throwing the covering over both of their bodies.

“What happened?” he asked in a whisper, his eyes searching all over Two’s face to discover if his initial impression was wrong and Two _had_ been injured or insulted.

“They… they… I do not know where they came from,” Two whispered as he shook under his hands. “We were being assembled in the cargo hold like normal and they suddenly appeared with their weapons. I do not know what they were, but they are _loud_. _It went right through the shields_ ,” he hissed, his eyes widening. “The guards just… dropped. They were _dead_ instantly! They were saying weird things to each other and one of them was slightly injured, but that one that returned us told us to assemble to be returned and I do not know what is happening.”

He hummed, giving himself some time to process the information, but also trying to soothe Two.

“I am also unaware of what is happening,” he finally admitted. “I do not know what that stranger’s idea of freedom is, nor of how we will be safe.”

Two looked at him, his eyes bright with unshed tears and his perfectly shaped lips quivering slightly. “Are… are we to be killed?” Two whispered fearfully.

He wished, for a moment, that he could lie to Two and give him meaningless and placating words to calm his fears. “I do not know,” he finally said. “Just the _way_ they spoke,” he shook his head. “They did not speak with resignation or cruelty, as if they believed their words to be true. I am also uncertain if they intend to take us to a House’s brothel to seek sanctuary or if they will leave us in the care of others.”

Two nodded slightly.

Unseen to everyone aside from themselves, he tangled his fingers into Two’s. “We must accept our fates of what they intend to do and pray to the ancestors that we will be looked upon with favor. But whatever will happen to our physical bodies, we will be together still,” he promised softly, lifting his head a bit, just enough to give Two an affectionate kiss. Though they were both tribute, their lives and bodies not of their own, they both knew a deep affection for each other in their minds and spirits.

Two’s lips stretched upwards into a smile, something that was given to him alone. He smiled in return, blinking his eyes slowly, feeling them getting heavier. Two’s smile was breathtakingly beautiful, and it brought him moments of joy, lighting up his dreary world with colors. He could suffer the worst insults, the harshest beatings, and any fears as long as he could see the brightness of Two’s smile.

“That brings me comfort,” Two replied, lifting their joined hands to his lips. “Did you sleep while I was at the market?” he asked.

He pillowed his head on his free arm, gazing affectionately at Two as his eyes grew heavier, but he shrugged in response to Two’s question. “Some. But then…” he grimaced, rolling his eyes around to indicate everything that had occurred. “The medicals took others for treatments again,” he relayed.

Two frowned, most likely remembering the discomfort and pain the treatments brought.

“Where is Five-One?” he whispered suddenly. “Their light is out, and the medicals took Five-Two, so she has not been returned.”

Two shook his head. “I do not know. She would not leave Five-Two behind.”

He nodded. Five-One was extremely protective of her brother, nearly risking her life at times to protect him. The ship shuddered, the low hum that punctuated most of his life beginning as the ship was powered on. He heard the muffled sobs from some of the younger children, and even some of the older ones that should have already learned to be much quieter with their sorrows were also crying with fear. He could not fault them for their tears, and as the guards had not returned and they were _alone_ , he released his worries about those who were sobbing receiving a punishment.

He would most likely be in much the same state if Two had not been returned to him.

He winced as he noticed the hiss of life support and his ears attempted to equalize the air pressure. Working his jaw around, he paused as he felt Two’s fingers release his before he felt Two’s fingers pulling his face up enough to rest two fingers on his face next to his ears.

He nodded slightly, closing his eyes as Two pressed firmly against his skin, following his jaw down to his throat and then pressing behind his ears and repeating the process.

He sighed as the pressure equalized, sinking into Two’s body.

The engines started, making a different-feeling hum that almost felt out of place after having been turned off for the past three solar cycles.

Whatever would happen to them, it would not happen on Qinyan.

He tilted his head to listen to the engines, hearing and feeling the struggle of the thrusters to raise them off Qinyan’s surface and then the sound of them change as they broke atmosphere and entered space. He wondered if they would just be taken to one of Qinyan’s moons, but he refuted that thought as he heard the unmistakable whine of the engines as they jumped out of Qinyan’s system.

He whispered to the ancestors to watch Five favorably, not knowing where Five-One was and knowing Five-Two was in the medical area. He sighed and shook his head. He was powerless in this situation. They were now all trapped on a ship with strangers, some of the other children still missing and unaccounted for, and all they could do was wait to see how the situation developed.

Two grabbed his hands, bringing his attention back.

“You should sleep again,” Two chided, his voice almost lost in the noise of the engines. “You are in no condition to think properly.”

His lips curved upwards. “You assume that I think,” he teased as he let his eyes close.

Two pressed their lips together. “You think too much, One,” he murmured fondly.

Two was a comforting, warm weight all along his body, and he had just begun to drift off when the engines changed pitch as they dropped out, arriving somewhere. He chewed on his lower lip, wondering where they had arrived. They had only jumped for a brief time, so they had to still be near Qinyan. There were many systems that could be in that range, and he felt sleep rushing away from him once again.

He blinked his eyes back open, meeting Two’s concerned look. The life support was still on, so they would not die like that if the stranger truly meant to kill their bodies. Everyone quieted themselves, likely also wondering what would be happening to them.

The silence was broken by the ship shuddering a bit, and he tried to recall what a particular sound meant before he winced as there was the far too close sound of metal scraping against metal.

He waited, but again, nothing immediately happened.

He rested his head against Two’s chest, his eyes closing. He just had to wait to see what occurred, but he was just so tired…

He felt as if just a moment had passed when he woke to Two tugging on his hand.

“What is happening?” he asked, his words slurring together.

“Time givers have arrived and are distributing food,” Two told him. “Additional people returned the ones who had treatments, and both Four-One and Five have been returned. We have jumped again. I will tell you what Five-One has told us of the strangers when we will not be overheard.”

He blinked, surprised he had slept through all of that. He normally slept very lightly, to where the slightest sounds would often wake him, but it seemed as though exhaustion had overtaken him and put him into a much deeper sleep than he normally experienced. His stomach growled as he sat up, his movement prompting Two to sit up as well.

He could already hear the close murmurs and he wanted to gasp as he first saw the time giver. They were beautiful, as all time givers were, but their hair was what truly caught his attention. The large mass was pulled back into a simple knot at their neck, but even still, he could see the soft waves of their hair, the dark mass shot through with bright and dark reds, with a few streaks towards the top of their head that was red-yellow. He wondered how that had happened. Perhaps the time giver was from a world with a hot star. Their eyes were large and round, the brilliant red mark of a time giver centered between their eyebrows.

What struck him most was the sense of soothing calm they exuded as they entered into Ten’s cell with three full bowls of food cubes and cups of water. His eyes widened at the quantity of food being offered, as it was more rations than they would normally be given in two _farn_.

“Ten, you have been placed in a larger group in accordance with your treatments. You are in Group Five and will be the second large group we will bring up for a more thorough health check than what I will perform now.”

He was so focused on that sense of calm that he was startled as his and Two’s cell door was opened. This time giver was not _soothing_ , but instead had a firm confidence that assured him. Their long, loose hair was as dark as their face mask, but their smaller eyes were a warm, rich brown that was touched with bits of gold and red. Their eyes lifted a fraction, indicating a smile.

“Eight,” they greeted, their voice feminine but solid. “What is your designation?”

He hesitatingly raised his hand, one finger extended, making Two do the same, but two fingers held up. The time giver nodded, grabbing two bowls full of food cubes along with covered cups filled with water.

They did not snap or fling the bowls at them in annoyance when he paused before gently taking a bowl from their outstretched hand. He noticed that the time giver’s mark was more defined than the sloppier drawings the medicals would occasionally draw on when newer children arrived. He could only conclude that this time giver _was_ from a House and was _not_ one of the medicals. Two only took his own bowl after he had while the time giver set their cups down next to their sleeping pad.

“I must check your health quickly,” they said, kneeling in front of them, pulling out a small scanner from their pocket.

He nodded, holding still as a sensor was pressed against his skin to register his health vital statistics. The time giver repeated the process with Two.

“Do either of you have severe pains?” they asked.

He shook his head followed by Two. “We have not been injured badly in some time,” he answered.

The time giver nodded. “Have either of you been insulted recently?”

Again, he shook his head. “I have not been insulted in several cycles.” Even Officer Tu had passed them by as he paced the hallway, browsing through each cell as if choosing fresh foodstuffs from a menu. He had to wonder if Officer Tu knew something that he did not, but he had quickly caught the pattern of Officer Tu only taking girls who had passed their Time of Change for his recreational activities.

“I have not been insulted since I arrived,” Two quietly murmured.

The time giver nodded and glanced at their scanner briefly. “I am thankful that you both have been spared insults for some time. Were you both made responsible for each other?”

He nodded.

“I will note that. You both are in the larger Group One that we will meet for a more thorough health check before we move you into other accommodations. Though Group One is the last one we will meet, it will not be more than half of one standard. Please eat until your hunger has passed. There is a plentiful amount of food and if you still are experiencing hunger or thirst when we meet again, you are allowed and encouraged to express that feeling. I will leave you for now, but I must lock the door for safety until we are able to meet with you again.”

“We – “ he winced as his voice cracked, and he flushed as he cleared his throat. The time giver merely tilted their head inquiringly. “We are truly being taken from tribute?”

They firmly nodded once. “I am a time giver from the House of Song. None of my House agree with keeping people trapped within either form of servitude, and my companions are even less tolerant of it than those of my House. You all will be taken to places of safety where you may live freely for the rest of your natural lives.”

His eyes widened. He knew with absolute certainty that they were speaking truthfully and with a fierce protectiveness. He finally nodded, dropping his eyes to his bowl.

“Thank you for your kindness, time giver Song,” he murmured.

“Eat and rest until we are able to return for you,” they said as a parting as they rose smoothly to their feet.

He slowly picked up a food cube, his hand shaking slightly as he put it in his mouth. Two only began eating after he had, but as always, he ate slowly, watching Two carefully to see if he would need more food.

“Eat freely,” Two chided. “There is more than enough in this bowl for me to eat.”

He shrugged. “Habit.”

He ate until he felt entirely full, but food cubes still covered the bottom of his bowl. He shook his head when Two picked up a cube and held it near his mouth.

“I cannot eat any more,” he said around a yawn, his eyes heavy. “You may finish them if you are able.” He knew Two was worried about him, but all he could do to reassure Two was to place his head on Two’s shoulder, relaxing a bit. “What did Five-One say of the strangers?” he mumbled.

Two pulled him back down onto the sleeping pad. “They do not wish us harm, and she spoke kindly of a Lady Sora that is with them. She was captured when attempting to thieve from Lady Sora, but Lady Sora did not turn her into an administrator and took her into care instead. Lady Sora has repeatedly assured her that none of them hold anger towards her or any of us. Lady Sora’s brother is with these strangers, and there are many more strangers than we have seen. They killed all of the crew and the guards to ensure that we would not suffer retaliation from their actions to take us from tribute.”

He hummed, a few more of his concerns falling away. Time givers from a House and Five-One’s information assured him slightly that they were not to be killed. He still felt as though they were in a precarious situation, and he did not know what the future held, but the picture did not look as bleak as it had before. His belly was full, the steady thrum of engines vibrated into him, and Two’s warmth combined into an elixir that lulled him back into sleep.


	3. Illusion

When Two shook him awake again, he could immediately sense a difference. The prison level was abnormally quiet, with only a soft murmur of voices speaking in whispers.

“We are being taken from here now,” Two whispered to him.

He took a deep breath, trying to push down fear and face his fate with resolve. Blinking, he pulled back from Two and got his feet under him as Two moved to stand as well.

Once he was upright, he noticed that there was a different stranger standing at the cell door. Their face was bare, and he grabbed at Two’s hand. Bare faces, free of face masks, could either be a very _good_ or a very _bad_ thing as these strangers obviously no longer had a fear of their faces being known. This stranger carried Five-Two easily on their hip, the young boy looking barely awake, and Five-One held this stranger’s hand. Her demeanor did not appear coerced, and he wondered if this stranger with the sharp cheekbones and sharp eyes was related to Lady Sora, or if perhaps they were affiliated with the House of Song. But that this stranger carried Five-Two spoke much of Five-One’s assurance in them to not let her brother come to any harm.

“Eight-One,” the stranger greeted, the designation falling easily from plump lips, the stranger’s eyes focused somewhere between him and Two as they lightly bowed their head.

He returned the greeting habitually with the dip of his own head. There was almost a sense of surprise coming from the stranger, even though their face did not change.

“Eight-Two,” the stranger greeted towards Two. “Our time givers are now able to check your health thoroughly and they wish to speak to you about the treatments you have received.”

He nodded silently. Their fates were already determined, and all that he and Two could do was face it. The stranger let go of Five-One’s hand briefly to open the cell door, but Five-One placed her hand back into the stranger’s when it was offered to her.

“You going to take a swing at me?” a gruff voice echoed down the hall.

Peeking around the edge of the door and the stranger, he saw another, far larger stranger standing in front of Twenty-Three’s cell with Fifteen-One carried on their back. Fifteen-Two followed the large stranger like a spirit, and he almost stopped suddenly in shock. The larger stranger had markings all along their upper arm in a repeating pattern, and he wondered if the marked stranger was a criminal of sorts. Glancing over, he saw the sharp-faced stranger also had a marking peeking out from their clothing, but this one was in the more familiar bar-shape that was used for criminals.

The marked stranger apparently received an answer from Twenty-Three-Two – he did not even need to wonder who that oddly phrased question was directed towards. “Good, can you carry your sister, or should we come back for you?”

“I can carry my sibling,” Twenty-Three-Two replied, his voice biting.

“Come,” the stranger in front of him said, leading them out of the prison level and onto a lift, waiting for the marked stranger to join them with Twenty-Three following.

They were all led down another hall, arriving in the crew area.

Both time givers were already there, their faces free of their masks and even more beautiful for it. The soothing one with the beautiful hair was looking at data, their mouth forming words that had no sound. The words and symbols hovering in the air in front of their face had no meaning to him, but he could guess that they were deeply absorbed in it. The confident time giver was also there, their lips curved slightly upwards as they waited closer to the door. Further back in the crew area, he saw the tall and thin stranger that had returned Two to him, their face also free of a mask. Hurriedly diverting his attention before the thin stranger could notice his staring, he wondered a bit at the feeling of familiarity and fear wrapped together that came when he saw the thin stranger clearly.

“If you will step onto the mat one at a time, please, I will scan your health,” the time giver Song said, gesturing at the familiar medical scanner.

“Do you want them in any order?” the sharp-faced stranger asked.

He was a bit surprised at the looser pronunciation falling easily from their mouth, as if it was their normal way of speaking and the standard cadence of their words before was merely affecting an entertainment. He swallowed nervously. Perhaps their situation was not completely out of danger. The marked stranger spoke in the same loose way, and he glanced between the two. In the far better light of the crew area, the marked stranger’s eyes were slightly rounder, and skin tone a bit darker than the sharp-faced stranger. They were most likely unrelated biologically to each other, but the loose pronunciation indicated that they possibly could come from the same world.

Time giver Song pursed their lips for a moment, as if thinking. “Let us begin with Five and go through in numerical order,” they finally said, making no mention of the odd pronunciation.

The sharp-faced stranger only let go of Five-One’s hand as she stepped onto the scanner mat and ducked their head to whisper something to Five-Two.

Once Five-One’s scan was complete and she had stepped off the mat and back towards the sharp-faced stranger, they set Five-Two down on his feet on the scanner mat. When Five-Two was done and the sharp-faced stranger had picked him back up, he knew it was his turn to be scanned.

His scan complete, he waited for Two to be finished with his scan, glancing around. The sharp-faced stranger had placed Five in a large chair that could accommodate both of them and skirted the table to affectionately kiss yet another stranger, but this one he had not even noticed sitting next to the soothing time giver. He was startled a bit as Two stepped off the mat and took his hand again, but he led Two over to the table when the sharp-faced stranger gestured at him.

“Have a seat,” the sharp-faced stranger said with a slight smile, waving at the empty chairs.

Choosing a seat for himself near Five, Two sat down next to him. He had purposefully chosen his seat to give him the widest possible view of everyone in the crew area and let him have a clear line of sight to the thin stranger still towards the back of the crew area.

The marked stranger picked Fifteen-One back up after her scan and carried her to a chair across from him. Fifteen-One had not been having an easy time with her treatments, he knew. Her aches would last for two _farn_ after her treatments, and he’d heard her often sobbing when the guards were exchanging duty shifts and were away from the prison level for a time. He truly hoped that the treatments would end soon for her, her pain a constant drain on her strength and his own emotions.

He watched everyone, observing reactions and interactions. The sharp-faced stranger was clearly restless, their quick, halting movements as they circled the room an indication of something occurring internally. They were obviously more comfortable with the other stranger they had kissed with such affection and with time giver Song than with the marked stranger or with the soothing time giver; however, there was a certain familiarity even with hesitations. He wondered if they were all from the same world. The variations of appearances were usually far slighter on those from the same world, but perhaps related systems?

“You’re an observant one, aren’t you?” the sharp-faced stranger asked quietly – so quietly that he had to wonder if it was actually spoken – as they sat down between him and Five.

He jerked, startled out of his thoughts. He waited a moment before cautiously peeking over at the sharped-face stranger, wanting to at least protect his eyes from any incoming blows.

“Apologies, I did not mean to startle you,” the sharp-faced stranger said a bit louder and with a soft smile. “I had thought I created enough noise to warn of my approach.”

His lips parted a couple of times before he could actually recover from the shock of not being struck for his curiosity but also that this sharp-faced stranger had attempted to warn him of their approach. “Apologies,” he murmured, dropping his gaze to the table. “I was taken away by my thoughts.”

“There is no need for an apology, child. Having thoughts is not a crime.”

His fingers tightened around Two’s briefly, but some tension was released from his shoulders. The simple _child_ designation, not his numerical designation, informed him of this sharp-faced stranger’s views of him. He wanted to ask the sharp-faced stranger questions, but he kept his silence. There was never a guarantee that he would not be struck for speaking without permission. The pronunciation and odd way of speaking tugged at his memory, but he could not recall what exactly it reminded him of. Instead, he watched as Twenty-Three-Two placed Twenty-Three-Three in a chair before the boy sat down between his sister and his sibling with a clenched jaw.

Time giver Song brought the medical data from their scans to the projection, tapping the soothing time giver on the shoulder, perhaps as a warning before their scan data was fully propagated and took up half of the available area.

“Are any of you still experiencing hunger or thirst?” time giver Song asked, their eyes flickering over the scan data. The soothing time giver was reading through the mysterious symbols slower, but with an intense concentration.

Time giver Song waited for everyone to answer before continuing.

“I will speak to each of you individually about any issues with your health, but the purpose of this meeting with you nine is to discuss the treatments you have been given.”

He opened his mouth, but just as quickly closed it.

“You may ask questions as you have them, Eight-One. None will strike at you.”

He still hesitated, but finally opened his mouth. “What sickness are we being treated for?”

“You are not being treated for a sickness,” time giver Song corrected gently. “These treatments are genetic modifications that Zhou Li demanded that you all were to be given. Your treatments have moved on from the foundational treatments into the actual modifications.”

He felt Two’s nerves in the shaking of his hand. “What are these modifications?” he finally asked, suddenly very uncertain as to what their fates truly would be.

“They are the same modifications that Twin and I were given over twenty-eight cycles ago,” the unnoticed stranger finally said. “The modifications increase all of your senses and alter your mind’s pathways to become mildly telepathic. Yes, that is the reason as to why you may feel things far too much or know things that you do not recall being told.”

He felt… overwhelmed. There was shock and confusion and fear and _anger_ , and he closed his eyes as everything seemed to press in on him all at once. Squeezing Two’s hand, he tried to discern if the modifications had already opened something within him and he was feeling things from the others instead of just from himself.

“I require your concentration once more to explain what must happen,” time giver Song said, cutting through the inputs.

Two’s hand was shaking violently in his, and he took a deep breath, forcing a false sense of calmness that had saved him from many beatings though his life. He knew Two was very scared but looked to him to lead them both through. Opening his eyes, he swiped at the few tears that managed to escape down his cheeks.

“Your tears are a normal reaction to stress,” the soothing time giver said, their voice calming. “Do not be ashamed of them. This is a very shocking and scary thing to be told.”

Time giver Song nodded. “That is correct. As we have taken you from tribute, you children are now freed people. No one will punish you for displaying your emotions or of asking questions to assuage your curiosity. I require your concentration for only a short time longer before we will take you to your quarters for you to rest, cleanse yourselves, and to give you space and silence to think and comprehend without the confusion of inputs.”

The thin stranger began moving closer, carrying what he could recognize as a container for hot water, and he swallowed nervously. He was not certain if he wanted that stranger closer to himself, but he did not want that one close to Two until he could know of their intentions.

He suddenly could see a situation unfold before him, a split second before it happened. Twenty-Three-Two nearly exploded out of his chair, startling almost everyone.

“We were only supposed to be _slaves_ ,” Twenty-Three-Two screamed, his face turning redder with the rage that was suffusing him.

“Zhou Li is not known for his discernment between slaves and tribute,” the thin stranger said calmly, showing no fear of walking up behind Twenty-Three-Two.

He tightened his mouth as he saw Twenty-Three-Two spin around. Twenty-Three-One was starting to reach out to try and restrain him, but he did not know if she would be able to save her brother from his own impulses this time. Time giver Song had said that they were freed people, but he was still very uncertain. Their reactions to Twenty-Three-Two would indicate their status.

Surprisingly, Twenty-Three-Two could not even lift his arm against the thin stranger.

“Stay there,” the thin stranger ordered firmly.

It felt as though something had pulled him taut, freezing his body.

The thin stranger put the heated water next to the soothing time giver, who immediately poured it into three cups, dropping small bags into each one, giving one to the thin stranger, who nodded his thanks, while the other was slid over to time giver Song.

“You may move to sit down in your chair,” the thin stranger ordered again, sitting next to the modified one, who looked vaguely disgruntled and slowly relaxing, as he felt his own body relaxing as well. The thin stranger gave the modified one an affectionate kiss on the head, and he could almost _feel_ the contriteness of it. Twenty-Three-Two was seated but shaking almost as violently as what Two’s hand was doing.

The modified stranger huffed a soft laugh, rubbing their head against the thin stranger’s shoulder. He could only guess that if they were given an apology, it had been accepted.

“Who are you?” Twenty-Three-Two gasped fearfully.

“I am Zhou Mi,” the thin stranger replied.

He could not stop the shocked intake of air at the recognition of _that_ name.

Zhou Mi looked at him curiously. “You know of me?”

He nodded his head a fraction, dropping his gaze to the table.

“How many cycles are you?”

“Al-almost thirty-nine cycles,” he answered softly. Daring to peek up, he saw Zhou Mi looking surprised and almost impressed.

“Your memory is exceptional,” Zhou Mi praised. “You could not have been any older than twelve cycles when my exile occurred.”

He felt his face heat at the praise, and he chewed on his lips. “My thanks to you, Lord Zhou,” he replied finally, unsure if it was the proper form of address. He never would have thought he would be anywhere _near_ the presence of one of the Zhou clan, even if he was – _had_ – been owned by Zhou Li.

“You do not need to honor me with any title,” Zhou Mi corrected. “I am exiled from my clan and have been for twenty-eight cycles. You may simply call me by my name.”

“W-why were you exiled?” Fifteen-One ventured, her voice barely heard.

It appeared that Zhou Mi had not heard her, but the modified stranger tapped Zhou Mi on the shoulder. “The younger ones wish to know why you were exiled.”

“Ah,” Zhou Mi said, nodding. “I was exiled for freeing two tributes from the experimentation my patriarch had ordered them subjected to, destroying all of the data in the laboratory that I could find, and refusing to tell him where I had sent the twins.”

He bit his lower lip for a moment. There was one small detail Zhou Mi had not expressed, but the one that was likely to be the most critical as a reason for being exiled. “You also refused to apologize to your patriarch,” he added, daring to keep his head up.

Zhou Mi’s lips stretched upwards in something akin to pride. “I do not regret my actions, nor will I ever apologize for them as they were nothing to be apologized for. Zhou Li should be the one on his knees groveling before the twins with an apology, not I apologizing to _him_. Furthermore, he should be also apologizing to you children for what he has set in motion for you all.”

He was surprised at the forceful, vengeful anger Zhou Mi spoke with towards Zhou Li.

“What is being done to us?” he finally asked.

“From what the twins recalling what is known to them from their memories, since the modifications have already begun, they will need to be seen to their completion or near-completion,” time giver Song explained. “Please calm yourself,” they said to Twenty-Three-Two, their voice sharp. “None of us wish to force Zhou Mi to order you complacent, but he will do so to ensure our safety if you continue to lash out.”

“Wait, _what_?” the soothing time giver asked, shocked.

The sharp-face stranger next to him sighed. “Sorry, Doc, I forgot to tell you about that part of the genetic mods before we brought them up. Buried somewhere in the genetic codes you’ve been staring at, there’s a recognition of a psychic marker and an obedience command line to the males of the Zhou clan that hold that marker.”

“Meaning…?”

“If I were to order any of them to do something, they would instantly perform that action, just as what happened when I ordered them into not moving,” Zhou Mi supplied, looking deeply uncomfortable. Fear shot through him at the realization. He would do _anything_ at Zhou Mi’s order? Harm others, harm himself, _kill Two_?

“It is not something that I wanted, it is not something that I am proud of, but that decision was made for me before my conception,” Zhou Mi continued. “And for the children and the twins as the genetic modifications were applied. Zhou Li will never truly comprehend the distress he has caused with his project, and he leaves that distress to others to deal with appropriately.”

The words and the obvious discomfort Zhou Mi displayed made him pause, his fear reflexes calming a bit.

The soothing time giver spun their cup around twice. “How many people can just order them to do anything?”

“Only four, but four too many,” Zhou Mi replied with a scowl before taking a drink from his own cup. “Zhou Li, two older paternal cousins of my generation, and myself. My cousins and I are nearly clones of Zhou Li, as it was the only way for him to ensure the psychic marker was put into my generation. We three are the only ones that survived out of the… many Zhou Li attempted to implant in his grandson’s wives.”

He felt as if he had experienced so many shocks in such a brief time that he felt almost numb, noticing what he would normally consider unimportant. If Zhou Mi was almost a clone, he wondered if that would explain the striping that was even _more_ visible to him in the better light of the crew area.

“What striping?” the modified stranger asked him, making him start suddenly.

He felt the weight of everyone’s gaze upon him and he moved a bit closer to Two in his embarrassment. “The stripes of color reflections in your hair and lighter stripes on your skin,” he told Zhou Mi, who looked surprised.

“Are the stripes going in kind of a pattern?” the soothing time giver asked immediately.

He nodded, using his free hand to indicate where about he saw the differences in reflected and absorbed colors on Zhou Mi along his own head and then drawing down his own cheekbones.

“Okay, I know what you’re seeing. I don’t know _why_ you’re seeing it, but I know what it is. I’ll make a note to check how far into the _ultraviolet_ you can see,” the soothing time giver continued.

He breathed out with relief, even though he did not know what that term meant. If the soothing time giver knew what the striping was caused by and was not concerned by it, only making a note about his vision, it was most likely caused by his own color perceptions.

“Why are you two so calm?” the marked stranger suddenly asked him. “Both of you should be just as bad if not _worse_ as what he is. What’s keeping you two so much calmer?”

He looked at Two before pulling their joined hands up into view.

“Explain?” time giver Song asked curiously.

“We discovered recently that it was much easier to keep calmer if we had physical skin contact,” Two said softly.

“It seems to keep everything from being _too much_ ,” he added as they dropped their hands back down.

Twenty-Three-Three immediately reached over to her sibling, latching onto his hand with a firm grip.

“Before we move you to your temporary quarters, do any of you have further questions?” time giver Song asked.

“I have several,” he said, stiffening his shoulders. He knew that he was the eldest of the children and many things had not been answered to any form of satisfaction, which left the responsibility to ask to him. If they were to strike at them for asking questions, even if the opportunity to do so had been offered, it was best for it to only land on him. “Are these modifications permanent?”

“Yes,” the modified stranger answered immediately. “There were some unfortunates ahead of Twin and myself in the experimentation that concluded the treatments to the end. The medicals then attempted to perform a reversal of the genetics. Those unfortunate ones lost any sanity they had managed to retain and were disposed of as soon as the results were certain.”

“You previously said that we must continue the treatments to completion or near to it. Why and what is the difference?” he followed up immediately. If they were allowing him to ask questions without striking him for his curiosity, he would do so.

“Both Twin and I recall that it was the last treatment I received and her next-to-last treatment that we felt calmer and more in control of ourselves. We were able to differentiate between our internal senses and external inputs. Twin has higher senses than I do on a physical and telepathic level, making large markets and festivals extremely uncomfortable for her to attend after some time, but I do not experience as much difficulty. Twin’s eyes have permanently changed color, mine will only change with strong emotions which allows me the freedom to move undetected if I desire. We have concluded that the final treatment is the amplification of our senses and a cosmetic change.”

“How long will these take to complete?” Fifteen-One asked, looking on the verge of tears.

“We are estimating almost one _li fan_ ,” time giver Song answered. “There is no reason for any of you to be awake through the process of the treatment and we will administer sleeping medicine before it to spare you as much of the pain as we are able to, and we will give you pain medicine when you wake to assure your comfort. However, as it will cause you to sleep for some time, I am only willing to administer one treatment every other _farn_ as your pain tolerance will allow. For the three youngest, I will only administer the next treatment after your systems are free of the medicine for one full _farn_.”

He glanced at Five. “Is it possible to apply the last treatment after several cycles?” he asked. “Five has not yet begun to reach their Time of Change and will not for several cycles. They should not be asked to make a decision as adults.”

“Twin and I were only given our treatments within one cycle, and from the data we have accessed, your schedules look much the same as ours. We have not had access to another treatment for me, but unless we have obtained more data that indicates it is safe to do so, we must assume that it is only possible within one cycle,” the modified stranger answered with a frown and looking upset. “Five, neither of you should ever be asked to make a decision such as this, but we are not your owners, and this is something that you must do for yourselves as freed people.”

Five-One nodded, her lips tugging down. The sharp-faced stranger reached over to soothingly pat her head. “We will be available to assist you making your decisions, but you are not tribute any longer and we must treat you as freed people.”

“Where will we go?” Fifteen-Two asked, looking lost and confused.

“I plan to ask two people who are dear to me if they are able to bring you into their households so that you will have the security and space to grow into adults,” Zhou Mi answered with a sip of his drink. “The twins have enjoyed their freely given hospitality and I trust them both. I would not ask them if I did not believe them capable to care and nurture you all into adulthood. I only ask that you trust me that much.”

“You do not need to make a decision immediately,” time giver Song added. “It must be made by the time of the last treatment, but not before then. So that you all will have space and quiet to yourselves, we will place you in this ship’s officer quarters so that you are able to rest and cleanse yourselves. After your rest, we will bring you more food cubes and water is available in each of your quarters. We do ask that you limit yourselves to your quarters, or the officer level only if you must move around. We have our own business to attend and we will not risk your safety by exposing you to others outside of ourselves. You also need to be away from the other children so that you are not overwhelmed with sensations that will cause you distress or harm.”

A soft chime startled everyone, but time giver Song tapped the soothing time giver on the shoulder. “We are near our first destination. Donghae, Zhou Mi, if you will escort the children to their rooms while we return to our ship to prepare?”

The modified stranger – _Donghae_ – stood up. “Of course.”

Zhou Mi rose, stepping around the table as the marked stranger gestured at Fifteen-One before the marked stranger left with the soothing time giver.

The sharp-faced stranger already had Five-Two back in their arms by the time he was standing with Two.

Twenty-Three-Two was struggling to get Twenty-Three-Three on his back, and he led Two over to Donghae, who was sharing a loving kiss with the sharp-faced stranger. They easily transferred Five-Two from one to the other, as if Five-Two was their own young child and they had performed the small task many times before. The sharp-faced stranger placed Five-One’s hand in Donghae’s before they knelt down.

“Go with Donghae, okay? We’ll be back soon. Once my Elder Sister wakes up, she will greet your return with joy.”

Five-One nodded, looking shy, but relaxed in Donghae’s presence. The sharp-faced stranger rose back up, giving Donghae another loving kiss, their faces deeply affectionate towards each other.

“Be cautious,” Donghae said.

“Always. I love you.”

Donghae smiled. “Just as you have my love.”

Zhou Mi, who carried Fifteen-One, was also gifted with an affectionate kiss before the sharp-faced stranger left. Donghae and Zhou Mi appeared to only need a brief look with one another to conduct an entire conversation.

“Come, we will use the secondary lift,” Donghae said, nodding towards the other end of the hallway.

“Do any of you have further questions you did not feel comfortable asking with everyone?” Donghae asked as they walked down the hallway.

He bit his lower lip, wondering how or if he should ask what Donghae’s relationship was…

“Though Hyukjae and I are not legally recognized, the others on our ship and his family consider us spouses, yes,” Donghae answered easily. “This close, I am easily able to understand any strong thoughts that you have. You may also refer to all of us with gendered pronouns that are associated with our physical forms.” Donghae exchanged a knowing look with him. “I too was once tribute,” he reminded.

“Will we be able to do that with the treatments?” Two asked, wide-eyed.

Donghae nodded as he called the lift. “You will.”

“Hyu-k-jai?” he finally asked.

“Hyukjae,” Donghae corrected as they stepped onto the lift. “It is an odd pronunciation for many, I know. It took all of us almost two cycles to pronounce correctly.” He glanced down at Five-One. “Yes, we will be offering you names to choose within the next _farn_. You will know for yourselves when the correct name is spoken, even in your initial stages of modification.”

He leaned into Two for a brief moment, his mind feeling too full of information, as the lift slowed to a halt.

“A moment,” Donghae told him, opening the door immediately to their left.

Peeking in, he watched Donghae gently lay Five-Two down on the sleeping pad that rested on a platform, patting the young boy’s head softly before murmuring something to Five-One. He supposed that Donghae truly understood the pain the treatments caused, his movements gentle and soft. With an affectionate pat to Five-One’s head, he closed the door behind him. Twenty-Three were slowly starting to move into the room Zhou Mi had opened on their right while Fifteen must already have been placed in their room.

Donghae gestured at them, leading the way towards the main lift. Opening the last door on the right, Donghae gestured for he and Two to enter.

For the first time he could ever recall in his life, he was shocked into standing still. This room, if possible, was larger than the room Five had been placed in, and he looked at Donghae with wide eyes.

“Yes, this room is for you to use, but only for the next _farn_ as we must leave this ship at the House of Song. So many children arriving at once and seeking sanctuary would be a strain on the House’s resources,” Donghae explained. “Once our first business has been conducted, we will move you to our ship. Though the accommodations are not as… luxurious as these, they are adequate for comfort.”

He nodded. “We thank you,” he said softly. Two was still looking around, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. “This is more than we could have expected.”

“If there is anything left in the room, you are free to use it as you wish. Cleanse and rest yourselves for now; your minds need sleep and silence at this time so that you are able to make decisions with clarity. You both have survived where many others could not. Take pride in that. We will return for you,” Donghae said before he left, leaving he and Two alone.

“I am so tired,” he mumbled to Two, leaning his head against Two’s chest. He wanted to cry, wanted to sleep, wanted to do thousands of things all at once, but the weariness was the most prominent.

Two hesitatingly leaned down, kissing his forehead. “Let us sleep,” Two murmured to him, directing him gently towards the sleeping pad. Two helped him lay down before pulling his dirty shoes off, his feet almost aching at the first brush of air in a while.

Like that, the longing to be clean made him open his eyes suddenly.

“Is there a cleaning unit in there?” he asked Two, pointing at the open door.

Two looked up, surprised, but obligingly went to investigate.

“There is a water cleaner only,” Two told him, poking his head out of the smaller room. “But there is cleanser still here.”

He groaned softly, sitting back up. He wanted to be clean. He was just about to reach down for his shoes when he yelped as Two easily picked him up.

Two’s smile and laughter at his noise was a welcome balm of relief, and he snuggled his face into Two’s neck, smiling. He stripped his dirty clothing as Two did the same, both of them stepping into the spray of water. It was very old-fashioned, something one found on rural worlds, but an utter luxury out in space. His shoulders drooped as the water dislodged bits of dirt and oils from his hair along with anything else mired there. None of them in the prison level had been pushed through an air-powered cleaner in some time, and the itch of his skin had become background noise. But now, with water rushing down his body, he felt better, different.

Two already had poured some cleanser into his hand, handing him the bottle before working the cleanser into lather on his hands. He sighed in relief as he rubbed some cleanser into his hair, taking care to make sure every bit of his scalp was scrubbed, scraping his nails across the skin to pick up anything that had clumped there. He was tired, but the feeling of being clean kept him awake and playful enough that he got behind Two and scrubbed at Two’s back with his smaller hands.

Two’s laugh bounced around the small room, and after a habitual pause at making noise, they continued playfully scrubbing at each other, cleaning places the other could not reach, giving each other hugs and affectionate kisses all the while.

By the time they turned the water off, after thoroughly soaking the clothes they had been wearing and wringing them out to dry, he personally thought that he had not been this clean since he was born. He felt entirely different – a full belly and a clean body, and once Two had curled along his back comfortingly on the warm sleeping pad, there was blessed _silence_ in his own mind apart from _something else_ he could only suppose was from Two. He had never realized how _noisy_ the prison level truly was until he was away from it.

Two’s large hands were a comforting weight on his skin as they both played with each other’s fingers in silence under the warm covering.

“I was concerned that this was all false,” Two said quietly. “But this…” He felt the slight movement as Two shook his head. “They would not allow us this if their intentions were not true.”

He nodded. “They have spoken so easily of their intentions. The presence of Zhou Mi with them…” He licked at his lips. “That gives me some assurance that we truly are being taken to safety.”

“Can you tell me of him?” Two asked curiously.

“I can tell you what I recall from the world where I was born,” he said as he rolled slightly onto his back.

Two nodded encouragingly, propping his head up to stare down at him.

“Zhou Mi was the heir of the Zhou clan, being the… I forget. I thought he was the eldest, but he stated that he had two older paternal cousins, so that is not the case, but he was the heir,” he asserted. “I remember everyone speaking about his defiance of his patriarch – he was _thirty-two_ cycles when he was exiled,” he said.

Two’s eyes grew wide. “He defied his patriarch at _thirty-two cycles_?” he whispered, shocked.

He nodded. “That is why it is so memorable to me. He had not even become a legal age when he was exiled. I do not know why he was spared death when he was _so_ defiant – destroying the laboratory, sending the twin tribute – Donghae and his twin sister,” he corrected himself firmly, “away, and refusing to apologize for it all.”

“Perhaps his patriarch thought that with time and without access to family, that Zhou Mi would crumble as he was not yet of a legal age?”

He shrugged. “Perhaps, but Zhou Mi just… did not go back. No one had heard of him or from him in some time that I know of, and I wonder if this is the first time in twenty-eight cycles that anyone _has_ seen him.” He shook his head. “But that defiance and the assurance and affection Donghae holds towards Zhou Mi speaks well of their intentions towards us all.”

Two nodded, reassured. “That brings me immense comfort.”

With a lingering – clean – kiss to his hair from Two, he placed his hand over Two’s and closed his eyes.


	4. Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: there's some vague referencing to depression and suicidal ideation/thoughts

He was aware that he was dreaming, even as his sense of smell was filled with a pleasant aroma that could only come from a world with wild vegetation. He could not recall if he had ever been to such a location before.

_Go._

Moving forward, he noted his feet were bare but unscathed as he took a few tentative steps. He did not know the source of the feeling-voice, even as it felt almost familiar.

_Hurry!_

He could not tell if he walked towards a small glow not too far distant, or if he was pushed towards it. Things rarely made any form of logic while dreaming, but he arrived at the edge of a small clearing in the vegetation in nearly an instant.

A shattered, broken sob urged him forward, a feeling of empathy filling him and propelled him into the clearing that was only lit by a small fire held protectively within a ring of stones. There, alone, a hunched figured curled into itself as it sobbed.

“You are well?” he found himself asking.

The figure did not make a sudden movement as if it was startled, nor did it ignore him as if he was not there, just observed him with tired eyes. Finally, the figure slowly shook its head, staring blankly at the fire.

He noticed that this person – it had to be a person – held a cool beauty in their facial features, even though it was warmly colored from the fire with reds and oranges. He ached emotionally for this person, even if it was someone he had never met. He would have remembered such beauty.

“Is there something I am able to do to assist you?” he finally asked.

“I’m scared.”

It was such an odd way of speaking even just in the short phrase. “What has frightened you?”

“I can’t do it,” the person sobbed, their face crumpling with their emotions.

He wanted to ask what they were unable to accomplish, but then a spark danced up from the fire, illuminating a large knife, one that would be used in food preparation. As with so many things in recent times, the information was given to him within his own mind. This sobbing, beautiful person was in a form of pain he would not wish upon anyone, having seen it and experienced it himself. A form of service loomed ahead of them, their agony at not being like many others and the desperation to have _something_ in their life to not be a constant, lonely struggle.

“I just can’t do it,” the person continued to sob, their entire body nearly convulsing. “I’m too scared to stay and too scared to go,” they wailed, their fists slamming against their own legs.

He made a soft sound, his distress obvious. The words tugged at him, the hint of familiarity rising again within. He needed to assure them, to keep their spirit from releasing and moving with the ancestors.

“I do not wish for you to move with the ancestors,” he told them.

“ _Why_?” they wailed.

“We wait for you,” he answered simply, the words coming out of his mouth with no thought from him.

It seemed to be the correct phrase for them, as the sobs slowly trailed off and faded. He felt as if he could breathe slightly easier, as if they were past the imminent danger.

“It hurts,” they said wearily.

“It does,” he agreed. He felt a tugging on his being, as if he were about to be dragged away. “I must go,” he warned them. “When we next meet, I will greet your return with joy,” he promised them, even as he had no idea who this person was, or how to find them or let himself be found.

“Will we meet again?” they asked. Even if their voice was tired, their eyes were beseeching.

“We will. Even if I must search everywhere for you, I will find you,” he swore. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to theirs, giving and receiving comfort of his vow to them. “Wait for just a time,” he told them as he was dragged backwards from the comforting glow and back into the wild vegetation.

Blackness surrounded him, but it was not frightening. It soothed him, told him he had done well in that odd feeling-voice, and that the danger had passed.

_Come find us_ , the feeling-voice told him. _We are yours, you are ours_.

Contentment filled him, and he allowed himself to fall into the blackness of dreamless sleep.

* * *

When he woke after a time, he was disoriented and confused. He was not on the prison level for certain as he could not hear the other children, he was _warm_ even though he was not wearing clothing, and the sleeping pad he was on was a much finer texture than the one he was used to, as was the covering over him. Opening his eyes, he was immediately greeted by Two’s sleeping face, and his half-awake mind finally reprocessed all events that had occurred. Breathing out softly, he forced his fear reflexes to calm. He had not merely dreamed that he and Two were being taken from tribute by Zhou Mi, it was his new reality, and he focused on the remembered words of protectiveness, assurance, and truthfulness to keep his fear reflexes from attempting to convince him that it was a waking dream.

Relaxing back down onto the sleeping pad, he propped his head up on his arm and gazed at Two. In sleep, Two’s face was relaxed, his lips pushed out slightly, his concerns gone for the moment. Something within him was warm as he gazed at Two, his feelings of affection tinged with something else he had no name for; but he was relieved that they were both still alive, they were being taken out of tribute, and they had full bellies and clean skin after so long of not having either.

His eyes closed again, content enough to let sleep come and go from him until he felt Two stirring awake.

Two woke much like he had before, confused and scared, and he anchored his hand in Two’s hair to give Two a physical touch that would reassure. Two’s wide eyes met his, and it was with that look that Two relaxed.

“I was terrified that I had merely dreamed this all,” Two muttered quietly, closing his eyes for a moment.

He smiled softly as Two pulled him closer. “I woke up in the same state earlier. I assume it will take us some time before we do not wake like that.”

Two nodded and wrapped his longer arms around him. “This situation is one I had never dared to think of.”

“Myself as well,” he agreed, resting a hand along Two’s waist. “This situation seemed so impossible that to dream of it would simply crush my spirit until there would be nothing left. But now that we are in it…” he shook his head. “I am uncertain how to behave or to think. I am unaccustomed to not feeling cold or hungry, or hearing the others all around… the prison level was noisy, but it was reassuring that others were around,” he tried to explain. “This feels lonely.”

Two nodded. “I harbor the same feelings of loneliness. We have never been truly alone to ourselves and it feels disorienting. Is this what freed people experience all of the time I wonder?”

He sighed. “I do not know. I do understand why they have separated us – Donghae was correct in saying that we needed sleep and silence to begin to make decisions for ourselves. That is likewise an odd concept to grasp. I have spent my entire life being told what to do, decisions being made for me, but now I have to make them for myself? It is nearly overwhelming.”

Two grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together. “It is very odd,” Two agreed. “Perhaps this silence is to remove outside influence or pressures to form a decision?”

He nodded. “That seems logical.”

Two’s lips pursed. “Do you have a preference for the treatments yet?”

He hummed. “I still require more information before I am able to form any thoughts about it. Do you prefer one or the other?”

Two shrugged. “I am awaiting your decision, as it might be best that we function much like Donghae and his twin with one complete and the other not.”

He blew his breath out. “That is most likely what they wished to prevent in our decisions. You are free to complete the treatments or not, no matter my own.”

Two shrugged. “It seems illogical for both of us to be uncomfortable in large crowds, or to be easily overwhelmed with sensation, but at the same time, illogical for both of us to have lower senses of others.” Two shook his head. “I cannot explain the feeling that I know we will stay together, and that is influencing my own decision.”

He tapped his fingers against the back of Two’s hand. “I do not wish to take a choice from you now that we are able to make one.”

“Nor do I wish to take one from you,” Two insisted before sighing, his lips twitching upwards. “Making decisions seems very difficult when wishing to be considerate of others.”

“Agreed,” he murmured. “Let us put that aside for the moment, we can revisit it at a later time.”

Two nodded. “As we were told, we do not need to make a full and permanent decision until the last treatment is an option.”

Realizing that Two had a point, he tilted his head in an agreement, and he smiled as Two stroked his hair. The noise of surprise from Two shocked him a little, and he looked around, looking for any danger. “What is it?” he asked.

Two had let go of his hand and shoved it into his hair, pulling it softly back from his face, and Two was peering curiously at his scalp.

“Your hair,” Two said, squinting. “I did not notice when we were down in the prison level since the lighting was so poor, but your hair near your scalp is growing white.”

His eyes widened. He was not even a legal age and already his hair was looking elderly? He did not recall that either of his biological donors had elderly hair when he was still with them. Their hair was as dark as the blankness they had subsumed themselves in.

“You may experience the sight differently than I, but it is very… pretty,” Two finished, releasing the hold on his hair.

“Is it only in places?” he asked, oddly concerned about appearing as an elder before he was even of legal age.

Two shook his head. “It looks as though every strand is growing that way,” he said after a moment of inspection. “It is very small, and I was only able to notice it with the light.”

He grimaced. “I am looking elderly and I have not yet reached forty cycles,” he muttered, disgruntled.

Two shook his head. “It appears different to hair that grows from our elders. It is almost the same color, but it does not have that shimmer of elders’ hair. I experience it as a muted form of that color.” Two tugged on his hair again, looking closely. He felt Two’s breath fan out across his forehead, and there was a shiver of sensation that went through him, but he had barely felt it before it had dissipated. “Your hair appears healthy, and there is shine, but it is growing out as a muted white.” Two gave him an affectionate kiss. “It is nothing to be concerned about.”

He huffed. “It seems odd that my hair is turning white while I recall my biological donors had dark hair when they were older than I am now.”

“Perhaps one of your ancestors? Or…” Two trailed off, his head tilting in curiosity. “Perhaps it is related to the treatments? Donghae said that his eyes change color, and that his twin’s eyes have changed permanently, so perhaps the treatments are doing the same, but to your hair?”

His lips parted. “Ah, I did not think of that possibility. That is a likely situation, as it is only the hair close to my scalp that is changed and that it is all over.” He licked his lips. “If my hair was beginning to turn to an elderly color, it doubtful that it would occur all at once.”

Two nodded. “It will look lovely on you,” he complimented.

He shook his head, resting it against Two’s bare chest, feeling lightly embarrassed at the words.

They chatted softly as time passed, and he was just starting to feel the pangs of hunger when there was a soft chime before the door opened.

Jerking upward, he was surprised at the simply dressed woman there, her hands holding a thin mat and a hand scanner along with a small bowl of food cubes. She stepped in the room, a small smile tilting her lips.

“Eight-One, Eight-Two,” she greeted with a nod.

Now that she was close, he could see the startling color of her eyes, a deep yellow with even more startling red flecks towards the pupil.

“You are Donghae’s twin?” he blurted out, clapping his hand over his mouth quickly.

Her lips stretched upwards in reassurance. “I am, my name is Amber,” she said. “As you will be upon our ship while finishing your treatments, we wish for you to have more appropriate and better-fitting clothing to assist in your comfort and to also let you become accustomed to life as a free person,” she explained, letting the thin mat drop the floor in front of the sleeping pad before handing Two the bowl of food cubes. “Where is the clothing you had?” she asked, finally addressing their nudity.

“We – we soaked them and left them in the water cleaner,” Two explained hesitatingly, obviously concerned that they should not have done so.

Amber nodded. “You do not need to concern yourself with those any longer, and it would bring Song Qian a great amount of pleasure to destroy them. If you will stand on this mat one at a time, I will take your measurements for new clothing. Were you able to cleanse yourselves?” she asked as he tentatively stepped onto the mat. It was not warm, but it was also not freezing as the floors were.

“We were,” he answered.

“Good,” Amber replied. “If you wish to clean yourselves again, do so after eating,” she said, initiating the scanner at the top of his head. “What is your question?” she asked suddenly.

He was slightly taken aback, but then recalled Donghae saying that Amber’s senses of others were much higher, but he still swallowed nervously before opening his mouth. “Two has noted that my hair is changing color at my scalp. Is this a result of the treatments?”

Amber tilted her head slightly. “Neither Twin nor I experienced that, but I will inquire with Song Qian to determine if it is. Is the color change complete?”

“It is occurring in all locations that I could see on the front,” Two answered as the scanner beeped to indicate completion.

He forced himself to stay still as Amber disappeared from his sight, and he suddenly felt his long hair being lifted up and parted in different sections.

“Hm, it is occurring in the back as well. What color do you experience it as?”

“I experience it as a muted white, similar but also different to the color of the hair of the elders,” Two replied.

“I have not yet seen it for myself,” he added.

“I see it much the same as Eight-Two,” Amber said. “A muted white that is something similar, but also different to the hair of elderly people,” she agreed. “The growth is still small and only enough to be barely noticed when close. Eight-Two, if you will step onto the mat?”

He sat back down on the bed, allowing Two to take his place. He still hesitated in picking up a food cube, but finally began eating as Amber took Two’s measurements quickly.

Once Two was also sitting on the bed and eating, Amber picked the mat up. “Rest and eat,” she told them. “I will return with clothing for you.”

“We thank you for your kindness,” he said quietly.

“It is kindness, but I have learned that this is the absolute minimum that you should begin to accept. It is only for the moment we cannot provide more,” she said. “Please be patient with us for a short time longer,” she pleaded. “We seek to keep you safe by limiting your exposure to the businesspeople we agreed to work for before we knew of you while also protecting the others from knowledge of our identities. There are some who would not hesitate to breach the sanctuary of the brothels to attempt to seek us out if the other children knew of us. Your situation is much different than theirs,” she explained.

His lips parted a little in understanding. He had wondered why they had no fear of letting him know of their identities while initially using face masks. “You have met the people Zhou Mi wishes to ask to bring us into their households?” he asked.

Amber nodded. “I will have to await their replies before informing you of them, as I do not wish to give you false hope. But Twin and I have met them and enjoyed their hospitality that was freely given, _that_ I can assure you of.”

The concerns he still had were reassured, and he felt his shoulders relax. “That brings us comfort,” he replied.

Amber’s smile was not as beautiful as Two’s, but it was bright and charming. “I will return,” she promised before taking her leave of them.

He and Two took their time eating, more relaxed than they had been. He could have been concerned that everything was false, but he was not – with the silence around him, he could _feel_ the truthfulness Amber spoke with. He was overwhelmed by the sudden change in his life, but it was not an overwhelmed that he felt he needed to run from. It was simply something that he needed to accustom himself to.

“You need to eat as well,” Two told him, looking concerned.

He shook his head. “My hunger is gone for now, and there will be more food available,” he reminded Two. “We no longer have to concern ourselves with poor rations. Their words are truthful and protective.”

Two grimaced a little. “It will most likely take me some time to become accustomed to that.”

He smiled, running his hand through Two’s soft hair. “I will be with you to assure and comfort you when doubts creep upon you.” Stretching his arms upwards, he winced at the twinge of muscles that were only just beginning to relax. “I will go cleanse myself again,” he finally said. “I want to be _completely_ clean before I put on new clothes and truly step into our new lives.”

Two smiled, nodding quickly. “I will join you.”

Stepping back into their old, disgusting shoes, they went back to the water cleaner. He tossed their old clothes out of the cleaner with disgust, feeling some satisfaction as the rags hit the wall with a still-wet sound. Turning the water stream on, he scrubbed the cleanser into his hair and along the back of his neck, a slight itch there telling him that he’d missed cleaning some spots thoroughly. Two was cleaning his own skin as he washed the cleanser out of his hair. Putting more cleanser into his hands, he worked it into lather before running his hands down his sides before moving them to between his legs, scrubbing at his skin with his palms and occasionally nails to ensure that his skin was clean.

Water cleaners were luxuries out in space, but one had to remember to clean _everywhere_ as opposed to air cleaners which cleaned every surface that was exposed to air without having to do anything other than standing still.

Two was following his example, neither of them needing to fill their comfortable silence with idle and pointless chatter.

“Here,” Two finally said, holding out his hands for him to place the cleanser in. “Let me assist you?” he asked softly, his big eyes slightly unsure.

He nodded, handing the cleanser over to Two before bracing his arms along the wall. He forced his breath evenly through his nose as Two’s slick, cleanser-covered hands scrubbed down his back and sides before one slid easily between the cheeks of his ass. Again, he felt the stirring of some kind of heat, but it disappeared as soon as it had come, leaving him slightly confused. He knew that Two would not insult him, but he did not know of any other feeling other than apprehension when he was touched by others, so the odd feeling left him confused about what he was truly feeling.

“Are you well, One?” Two asked softly.

He hummed an affirmative. “The feeling of you touching me but knowing that I will not be insulted is producing a slight conflict within my mind, that is all,” he assured.

Two flung his longer arms around his waist and pulled him into a strong hug. Tilting his head into Two’s chest, he soaked up Two’s affection for him.

“I will kill any that attempt to insult you ever again,” Two told him lowly, and he shivered at the promise. “If we are to be free –“

“We _are_ free,” he corrected.

“Then anyone attempting to insult you will be treated as someone who insults freed people and they will be destroyed.”

He smiled, a little sharp and so very affectionate. Turning in Two’s arms, he looked up at Two, meeting the dark eyes with his own. “Insulting you should be feared more than insulting the ancestors,” he swore back. “And anyone trying to do so will be met with such a fate.”

Two’s smile was fond, and their lips met in affection, sealing their vows and affection to the other. They finished washing each other and finally turned the water stream off, wringing the excess water out of their long hair before stepping out onto a heated mat.

Peeking out of the cleaner area, he saw two neatly folded piles sitting on the sleeping pad, new shoes also aligned neatly there. He felt Two move, their bare skin sliding against each other’s. Looking down at the shoes they had walked into the cleaning area with filled him with revulsion.

“I am going to run,” he told Two. “I can make it in five steps,” he assured before launching himself off the heated mat. He could tell how _cold_ the floor was, but since he did not linger, the pain could not register, and he leaped up onto the sleeping pad, smiling in satisfaction. Two followed him quickly, able to cross the ground in three striding leaps. They each picked up one of the piles, shaking out the basic black ship clothing to reveal the full size before holding each piece up to the appropriate body area.

As the pants he was holding up to his waist were falling past his feet, and Two’s pants looked far too small, they laughed and swapped the clothing in their hands. He was surprised and pleased that even undershorts had been provided. Dressing quickly, he stepped into the new shoes, but laughed again as he noticed that the shoe he had one foot in was far too large for his feet and were obviously for Two. Reaching over, he grabbed the smaller pair and handed Two the ones in front of him.

As with the provided clothes, the shoes fit perfectly without having to try and cinch them at his ankles to prevent them from either falling off or wearing bloody blisters into his feet. His eyes closed, and he smiled as he let himself fall backwards, and stretched out.

He felt Two stretch out beside him, and he took long minutes to center himself, reestablishing his own senses from what he could now recognize as being from Two. Though it was _lonely_ , he appreciated the silence within his mind from the constant noise and chatter of the other children. He was free, he was clean, he was fed, he was warm, and most importantly, he was with Two. He spared some concern for the other groups, but if what he had experienced was also applicable to the others on the officer level, they were likewise to be in much the same contented state.

Now that he comfortable, he could begin to ponder his future life. Donghae said that they would begin to be offered names soon, but he was slightly confused at why Donghae said that they would know for themselves which name was correct for them. He had heard many names through his remembered life but attempting to imagine himself using any name he could remember left him feeling as if a name was a piece of ill-fitting clothing. He wondered if that was the sensation that would turn into certainty that Donghae had referred to.

He also worried about his life as an adult. He would be forty cycles soon enough, but he did not know if he would ever be allowed to perform a job function with the modifications, or if he would even be able to do so. Would he have to live cut off from most of the Empire to keep his modifications secret? What would happen to him when he reached adulthood? Would he be allowed to stay with Two? He could not imagine himself living on a planet, isolated and never interacting with others. He had spent the majority of his life in space, barely able to remember the world he had been born on. He felt a flare of resentment towards Zhou Li for restricting his choices now that he was free.

“What are you thinking of?” Two asked quietly.

He fluttered his eyes open. “I feel resentful that our choices have been restricted by Zhou Li now that we are freed people, and somewhat worried about our future lives as adults. I cannot imagine attempting to live as an adult hidden away on some moon or planet, trying to hide from Zhou Li or hiding the modifications from people we would be forced to interact with. I have lived most of my life in space – I have few memories of living on the planet I was born on.” He sighed. “I cannot even recall the name of that place,” he added with a roll of his eyes. “And I worry about how to keep you with me.”

He could feel Two gently pat his hair. “We will be together,” Two told him. “We are some of the closest to being forty cycles, perhaps some of the others might have suggestions or recommendations?”

He sighed. “Yes, we cannot determine anything with incomplete information,” he agreed. “We must simply wait to see what occurs around us.”

Two tangled their fingers together once more, and he relaxed further into the sleeping pad.


	5. Say My Name

The metal sound shivering through the entire ship made him wince still, but since it was much further away than what it had been on the prison level, he merely opened his eyes, wondering what was happening. Once again, he had to force the dark whispers of fear away, reassuring himself of the truthfulness of the words spoken to him. They were not being put to death and left floating in the void for eternity, he told himself.

It was within a short time that he heard a chime echo through the room before the door opened.

Looking over, he saw the soothing time giver with the beautiful hair standing at the doorway.

“Hey, come on,” she said quietly, waving her hand towards her.

Rising up off the sleeping pad, he habitually grabbed for Two’s hand, comforting himself with the physical touch.

“What is happening?” he asked nervously.

“We are getting you guys ready to move you onto the other ship, that’s all,” she told them with a reassuring smile.

Edging outside of the door, the soothing time giver was already chiming at the door directly opposite of them as the sharp-faced one – Donghae’s spouse, _Hyukjae_ , he corrected himself – was speaking quietly to Five-One, but whatever was said, it caused Five-One to shyly duck her head as Hyukjae moved to the side of the hall he and Two were on, chiming the door before opening it.

The soothing time giver was already in Fifteen’s room, and he glanced around her. Fifteen-One was still moving slower than normal, her eyebrows pulling together in pain as she walked, but at least she was able to walk without assistance. Twenty-Three followed Hyukjae and Five, who were both clinging onto his hand and each other, to the end of the hall where he and Two stood. Twenty-Three-Two had his sister and his sibling latched onto his hands, which seemed to help keep the boy much calmer than he had been before. While on the lift, he noticed Hyukjae’s curious glances at everyone, but Hyukjae kept his silence.

Walking out of the lift, they were directed into the flight deck where several people, including elders, were standing around and speaking to each other in quiet tones, some of which quieted as he and the others entered, but they resumed after a brief moment.

“Hey, there you are!” a woman exclaimed, smiling brightly at Five-One. She knelt down, throwing her arms around Five-One in a hug and softly tugged on Five-One’s new clothes.

“My greetings to you, Lady Sora,” Five-One replied softly, shyly dropping her eyes.

“Just call me _eonnie_ ,” Lady Sora replied.

He wondered what the odd word meant. It wasn’t translated for him and from a quick glance up at Two, Two was likewise confused at the term.

He caught Donghae’s eye, and Donghae waved him closer.

“You are in pain and none of us will make you stand,” Hyukjae was telling Fifteen-One as he and Two passed by to go stand next to Donghae.

“Did you have a pleasant rest?” Donghae inquired.

Both he and Two nodded. “We were told that we are being moved onto your ship?” he asked Donghae.

Donghae nodded slightly. “We wish to minimize our time spent lingering at the brothel where we may place the other children and moving you now will assist that.”

“Ah,” he said softly. “Is that quick movement to also minimize the risk of being discovered by the others?”

He froze suddenly, his hand tightening around Two’s. Something dark and protective and yet _terrifying_ came off of Donghae within a heartbeat and his eyes were sharp as he looked up at him. “How are you aware of that?”

“Yo–your twin,” he stuttered.

Donghae relaxed almost as quickly as he had tensed, a dull flush spreading across his cheeks as Twenty-Three came near them, followed by Hyukjae. “My apologies,” Donghae murmured.

Hyukjae had no fear walking up behind Donghae and wrapping his arms around his spouse. “Are you scaring them?” Hyukjae asked, his voice slightly teasing.

“Unintentionally,” Donghae replied, looking embarrassed. “Twin informed these two about keeping the risk of our identities from the other children low, and Eight-One is smart enough to connect that to the reason we will arrive and quickly depart the brothel. I was startled at the information.”

Hyukjae shot them a quick look.

“Was she not to?” Two asked softly.

Hyukjae shrugged, seemingly unperturbed. “Amber often picks up on things on a level that none of the rest of us can. While she is like everyone else and can unintentionally divulge information, she probably told you for a reason that is known only to her. We trust her judgement on what information she gives to others. It may startle us for a moment, but that is only from our reflexes being sharpened by factors outside of our control over the past two cycles.”

His head tipped a bit to his right. He wondered if he completed the treatments if he would also gain an ability similar to what Amber experienced, and his body relaxed a bit from the information and at the reassurance that he had only triggered Donghae’s fear reflexes for a brief moment. “Are you able to speak of those factors?” he asked, turning slightly to wrap his arms around Two’s waist and leaning his head against the broad chest, taking and giving reassurance.

Hyukjae met his eyes for a moment before holding a finger up and glancing down at Donghae. Donghae barely moved, but it was apparently enough of an answer. He was unaware if it was the answer Hyukjae was seeking as Hyukjae tightened his lips towards one side briefly, as if in thought.

“I’m from a world that exists outside of the Empire’s influence and borders,” Hyukjae finally said.

His eyes opened wide. There were locations outside of the Empire? The Empire stretched the entire galaxy as far as he knew, but there were locations the Empire had not reached?

“It was only because of an accident that I arrived within the Empire, and there are some who were made aware of my existence after my arrival and that I’m not from any known world of the Empire,” Hyukjae continued.

Suddenly, the looser pronunciation, weird speech patterns, and occasional odd word made by Hyukjae made sense. He did not talk as if he had grown up within the Empire, as he had not.

“You may have heard the gossip in the markets about the Mandate moving?” Hyukjae asked.

He nodded. That had been much of the talk he had overheard at Qinyan’s markets. Concerned whispers of conversation that quieted only when freed people approached. That was an advantage to his tribute status, no one concerned themselves with his presence.

“If someone were to find a new planet that’s the size and population as the world I come from, it would _easily_ put them on the throne of the Empire even if they weren’t from a major clan. If the other kids knew of our identities, that would put _them_ in danger from someone who is looking for us to find my home world… or for any other reason. I doubt that the brothel sanctuary would do much to protect them if there was a suspicion that they knew who we are.”

“Was it only you that arrived?” Twenty-Three-One asked, leaning against her siblings.

Hyukjae nodded. “I’ve been here for about thirteen cycles now. We arrived in my home system as a complete accident while we were running from those attempting to capture us, and it was only there that we discovered a locator probe on our ship. That is why our reflexes are still sharp and we are easily startled by information,” he explained. “We had already accepted others from my home world onto our ship when we discovered the probe, including my family, and we haven’t been able to go back yet. So we’re doing a performance act where we’re having to keep our identities secret from the other children, and at the same time, keeping knowledge of my world and that there are others with us from there from being discovered and at the same time not getting caught from official Imperial forces because of all of our briefs.”

“Which is being made far more difficult by a business contract we had agreed upon before we knew of you, which has rendered all of us unable to sleep properly,” Donghae added.

Hyukjae sighed gustily. “I’m just going to kill him if he pulls us into another half- _farn_ timed run. I value sleep more than money and networks.”

He tilted his head, blinking in thought. “Ah, if your world is not associated with the Empire, then the others from your world would not know how to properly operate the ships of the Empire, so there are few of you that can pilot?” he asked.

“Damn you’re quick,” Hyukjae muttered. “Yeah,” he said a little louder. “So we haven’t really been able to relax our reflexes as of yet, and we are very easily startled. Sleep deprivation is not helping with that, either.”

“Again, my apologies for scaring you,” Donghae said, puffing out his cheeks. “I had not known Twin told you of our difficulties, but not the full reason behind it.”

“Can we join the party, too?” Lady Sora suddenly asked, taking the other chair and immediately pulling Five-Two into her lap, Five-One leaning into her side.

“ _Noona_ ,” Hyukjae protested.

There was another word that was not translated, and he wondered what it meant.

“What? The chair? You’re curled up with your boyfriend and not using it,” Lady Sora told Hyukjae defensively.

“Sora, Hyukjae,” an elder woman snapped, causing both Lady Sora and Hyukjae to stop arguing and move their eyes from each other.

He could see Donghae’s amusement as the broad shoulders shook briefly.

“Kang Deokbon is their maternal parent,” Donghae informed them. “Lee Kanghun is their paternal parent standing next to her.”

“Ah,” he replied, looking around. “Amber mentioned a time giver named Song Qian, is that her?” he asked, pointing towards the central chair where the soothing time giver was speaking quietly with Fifteen.

“No, that is Doctor Zoe. She is a healer from Hyukjae’s home world, but not a time giver. She wears the mark of a time giver for the other children to understand her role. Song Qian will return after reassuring the others that they are not being abandoned,” Donghae corrected.

“Hey _noona_ , hit that brown colored button for me, please,” Hyukjae asked Lady Sora. Lady Sora turned slightly, her eyes searching the console before she found the requested button and pushing it.

He looked between the two curiously. They both appeared to be nearly the same age, and though Hyukjae had referred to Lady Sora as Elder Sister, he wondered if they could be twins like Donghae and Amber were. Or it was also possible that Lady Sora had more than one sibling. “Who is the elder?” he finally asked.

“I am,” Lady Sora immediately replied. “By two year… er, wait, is it four cycles?” she asked Hyukjae.

Hyukjae nodded. “Four and a half to five cycles,” he corrected. Hyukjae looked around at them, and they apparently all looked confused. “Is it the time or the terms causing your confusion?”

“Explain both,” Donghae answered as he leaned back in his chair, casually brushing his hands against Hyukjae’s.

“Okay. Earth has a further orbit since our star is larger and hotter than a lot of other worlds. One Earth year is the equal of about two cycles. I’m used to doing the conversions quickly, everyone else is not. _Noona_ is the term of address for an Elder Sister in my language for masculine people. Feminine people use _eonnie_ for Elder Sisters. For Elder Brothers, the term _hyung_ is used for masculine people, while _oppa_ is what feminine people use.”

The terms that they had been using between them now made sense to him.

He spotted the confident time giver step back onto the flight deck, and he remembered that she would be Song Qian.

“Is everyone numbered according to age?” Lady Sora suddenly asked.

He blinked. Surely Lady Sora would be aware of that? He paused. Or she might not be aware of that if she was from outside of the Empire.

“Within small sibling groups, One is the elder, Two the next, and so on,” Donghae explained easily, as if he was expecting the question. “If it is not known who is the eldest, or if there are twins, then that group will be arbitrarily numbered. The sibling group numbers of the children we rescued were most likely randomly assigned, perhaps in what order they arrived in, or given a group number if they replaced others.” Donghae paused, as if remembering something. “Were any of you made responsible?”

He and Two nodded, along with Twenty-Three-Three.

“Sometimes sibling groups exist where perhaps all or perhaps one of the siblings are unrelated to each other, but they are made responsible for each other by being placed in a sibling group. Eight are unrelated but were made responsible for each other’s lives by being placed into a sibling group,” he explained. “Twenty-Three-Three was made responsible for both of the others, as they were made responsible for her.”

Hyukjae looked down at Donghae, obviously surprised.

“The children here were divided with their sibling group into the larger Groups for their treatments, but there are multiple ways of organizing tribute based on what function their owner plans for them to be used in.”

“Do you not have tribute, eonnie?” Five-One very quietly asked.

Lady Sora looked startled, and he wanted to back away from the _revulsion_ he suddenly felt. Lady Sora kept her voice and hands kind as she patted Five-One’s hair. “Where we are from, slavery of any sort is outlawed. While it still unfortunately happens, if someone is caught holding others against their will, they can be prosecuted for that crime.”

“Prosecuted?” Twenty-Three-Two asked, blinking with wide eyes.

“They would be brought in front of an administrator to face judgement,” Hyukjae said, explaining the terms in more familiar language. “Most all on our world view servitude as morally offensive, and if you are feeling revulsion from any of us, it is at the thought of servitude, not directed at you.”

He felt shocked down to his very core. “Such a place exists?” he could not help but ask.

Hyukjae hummed, nodding his head.

“Would your world not be a safer location for us?” Twenty-Three-One asked, confused, and probably just before either he or Two asked. A world without servitude and found the very idea of servitude offensive? It sounded almost like a paradise where they could live freely.

Hyukjae and Lady Sora shared a look and both sighed. “Sadly, it would probably be more dangerous for you,” Hyukjae replied. “Aside from those of us you see from Earth, almost everyone else is unaware of the Empire or that others even exist outside of our own world, since we’ve never had any contact.”

Hyukjae shook his head, looking regretful.

“Our planet has never had a single, unified government, and the entire world is fractured into individual nation-states, all fighting for resources among each other, and you would be seen as a resource to be studied. It’s ironically safer for you to remain within the Empire and in hiding than it would be to leave you on Earth.”

“Giving away all of our secrets, hm, Commander?” a pale elder asked, leaning on a walking assistance before leaning against the central chair and rubbing at his leg joint.

Hyukjae looked surprised, but to an extent that it was clearly false surprise. “We have secrets?” Hyukjae shook his head, laughing a little. “The kids are going to wind up hearing about Earth at some point since they’re going to be with us for at least a month – a _li fan_. They’re still going to be with us by the time we can get you all back to Earth. Our speech patterns are weird to them already, so they’ll work out pretty quickly that we’re generally unlike everyone else in the Empire.”

The elder tilted his head in agreement. “Yeah, you’ve got a point.”

Lady Sora looked up, concerned. “Do you want to sit down?” she offered to the elder.

The elder shook his head. “My knee’s just being stiffer than normal today, and if I sit, there’s no telling if I’ll be able to get back up.”

“Do you want ibuprofen sir?” Doctor Zoe asked suddenly as she came closer, possibly speaking of a medicine? Fifteen-One was still seated in the weapons chair with her twin by her side.

“Already took some, Doc, just waiting on it to kick in,” the elder replied.

Doctor Zoe nodded.

Hyukjae suddenly straightened, as if suddenly having a thought. “Hey Doc, when we get back…”

Doctor Zoe waved her hand. “I’ve already got a list going on of what to get Song Qian for you so you don’t die and she doesn’t have to experiment.”

“Once I have those supplies, I will have many concerns relieved,” Song Qian said as she approached. Her voice was just as firm and as confident as he remembered.

Lady Sora looked deeply concerned.

“You all possess slightly unusual characteristics in your physical bodies from the conditions on your world and from lack of contact with the Empire that would mix in,” Song Qian told Lady Sora. “Many of our medicines will work far more effectively or will not work at all on your systems, so having medicines that will work as intended for Hyukjae will be very helpful for me.”

The console suddenly chirped, and he barely swallowed down the terrified shriek.

“ _Andante_ ,” a voice said from the console.

“Damn that was fast,” Hyukjae muttered. “Okay noona, we really need that chair now,” he told Lady Sora.

Lady Sora obligingly had Five-Two stand before standing up. “All yours, monkey.”

Hyukjae scrunched his nose, like he was barely holding back a comment, but with a slight look at Song Qian, he slid into the chair, absently locking it in place, and his fingers dancing across the console screens.

“We remain in place for reconnection, Twin,” Donghae told the console.

He realized that the voice was Amber, returning from their business contract.

“Confirmed,” Amber replied.

He winced at the screech of metal, even so far away as the ships connected together.

Song Qian waved her hand at them, waiting on Doctor Zoe to assist Fifteen-One standing. “Let us go to the other ship. We will take the lift down where the connection point is located.”

He nodded, accepting the directions. Crowding into the lift once more, he followed Song Qian, glancing around to ensure the others were following as well. Two held onto his hand, squeezing it lightly.

Looking up, he smiled softly at Two, who returned it with a tiny upturn of his lips.

Stepping onto the other ship was – an _experience_ for him. The ship looked identical to the one they had just left, slightly more worn, and yet brighter. Doctor Zoe’s hair that was already tinted in places with red nearly exploded into an inferno of multiple red colors mixing in with the lighter brown. He looked at Twenty-Three-Three, knowing that she had differently colored eyes, and her eyes were indeed much brighter, shining almost like the stars in space. They had turned from their normal darker green into a bright green color with a touch of another color that he could not identify.

Following Song Qian, they stepped off the lift at the officer level. But to his surprise, the officer level had the walls crudely opened, exposing a large open area where rooms used to be. There were obvious training areas scattered throughout the large space, but he noticed three people sitting on grouped sleeping pads, colorful coverings bunched up to create an inviting area to sit in. One of the people was the marked stranger, who was chatting easily with another stranger that looked alert and yet relaxed at the same time, and a woman with dark skin. He could not help but stare at her hair as she gathered it together and contained it. The color towards her scalp was dark like space, but the color faded towards the ends to a have a slightly red tint. He wondered if the color fading was the same process that kept tiny parts of Doctor Zoe’s hair a light red-yellow color. Doctor Zoe collapsed down next the alert stranger, all three of them laughing at something before Doctor Zoe joined in. There was a chair set up near the sleeping pads, and he guessed it was for the elder who used the walking assistance.

He chose a place for him and Two that was slightly near the three strangers Doctor Zoe looked at with affection, but off to the side of them. Song Qian sat down gracefully next to him, and he could not stop looking around, the colors filling his senses.

“You are well?” Song Qian asked him.

He nodded, attempting to reassure both her and Two, who was holding tightly to his hand. “Your ship is very… bright and there are many colors I am experiencing.”

Song Qian nodded. “We must still check your color perceptions with accurate measurements, but for now, what color do you experience Doctor Zoe’s hair as?”

“Brown but tinted with many reds, like a fire,” he told Song Qian.

She nodded. “What are the colors you are unused to experiencing?”

Looking around the room, he spotted Lady Sora sitting down, pulling Five-Two into her lap as she sat near to her parents. “Lady Sora’s shirt is something colorful. I do not have a word to describe the color accurately.”

Amber walked in, and his eyes widened. Under this lighting, her eyes were even more brilliantly colored. Song Qian motioned at Hyukjae, who brought himself and Donghae to sit next to Song Qian.

“Please inform Hyukjae of the colors you are unused to experiencing,” Song Qian told him.

“I could not see it before on the other ship, but your Elder Sister appears to be wearing something… _colorful_ ,” he said, almost frustrated that he didn’t have a word for that color.

Hyukjae looked at Lady Sora before turning back to him. “Yeah, we call that blue,” he said.

“Blue…” he muttered, assimilating the word. That was the name of that color. It had to be a higher wavelength than what many could see, as he was not aware of that name. “You experience that color?” he asked Hyukjae curiously.

Hyukjae hummed agreeingly. “Hey Alex, do you have those hairpins on you?”

The woman with dark skin looked up. “Yeah?”

“Let me see them really fast?” Hyukjae asked, holding out his hand.

He assumed her name was Alex as she passed a small bag over to Hyukjae, who reached in and pulled out three hairpins.

“Do any of these pins look dark like space or white to you?” Hyukjae asked, holding the jewels against his hand, most likely to provide contrast.

Leaning forward, he stared at the hairpins. One pin had _shican_ ’s bright yellow with some flecks of green mixed in, but the other two. He could immediately recognize the familiar green mixed with the _blue_ Hyukjae spoke of with a brighter color in the _picat_ , and though the last set of jewels looked dark, they had color to them as well. Shaking his head, he pointed at the last hairpin. “That one looks dark, but there is a bright color to them. I do not have a name for it.”

“Purple,” Hyukjae said, nodding. He put the pins back in the bag, sending it back over to Alex. “Doctor Zoe mentioned something earlier about you maybe being able to see into the _ultraviolet_ , the really short wavelengths that are just outside of what I can see,” he explained. “So, it’s not surprising that you can see purple clearly.”

_Purple_ , he told himself.

Song Qian hummed next to him. “You seem to have a wide range of color perceptions. Your longer wavelength perceptions sound much like mine, but you are also able to see the shorter wavelengths that the twins experience to some extent, and some colors that only Hyukjae truly experiences. We use lighting on our ship that is comfortable for all of our color perceptions.”

“Wait, is that why I felt like I was getting a headache over there?” Lady Sora asked.

He stiffened back up briefly as Zhou Mi walked in, but he forced himself to relax once more. Zhou Mi was not a threat to him or Two.

The nameless strangers were introduced as Seungchul that was next to Doctor Zoe, the marked stranger’s name was Samuel, and the pale elder was called Admiral Thorn.

“Now that we are gathered,” Amber finally said, drawing all of the attention towards her presence. “Tributes do not have names, assigned only a number to identify them, but now that you children are free, you will be given names to have for the rest of your natural lives and to take with you as you move with the ancestors after it.” Amber smiled at Hyukjae fondly. “It was one of the first things Hyukjae insisted upon knowing when we first encountered each other, and Twin and I have learned over the cycles how much having a name does assist with feeling as though you are truly a free person.”

Zhou Mi tilted his head. “Do any of you children recall if you had names before?”

Almost all of them shook their heads, aside from the two older members of Twenty-Three.

“We remember the ones we were given before we were sold, but I do not wish to use it any longer,” Twenty-Three-One said, her mouth drawn into a firm line.

“Nor do I,” Twenty-Three-Two added on.

“What about your sister?” Lee Kanghun asked.

Twenty-Three-Two shook his head. “We were made responsible for her. She is my only sister,” he said, pointing at Twenty-Three-One. “But we have come to know affection and caring for Three.”

“Oh, so she’s your _hanai_ sister, okay,” Samuel said. He seemed to stop barely a second after. “Oh right,” he muttered, as if reminding himself of something. “ _Hanai_ is a term in my culture’s language to describe an informally adopted family member,” he explained to Twenty-Three. “They aren’t related to you, but you care about them like they are.”

Twenty-Three-Two nodded quickly. “That does sound like our situation.”

“Well, to get onto the topic of names,” Admiral Thorn started. “How did you come up with names for the twins?”

Hyukjae shrugged. “It’s how I saw the color of their eyes. I mean, Amber is pretty obvious, but I came up with Donghae for the waters of the East Sea because of a vacation we took when noona and I were kids down to Ulsan. The waters were so _blue_ there, and that’s what Donghae’s eyes reminded me of.”

Twenty-Three-One looked over at her siblings. “Three has very brightly colored eyes, do you also experience them that way?”

Doctor Zoe nodded. “Yeah, that was one of the first things I noticed about her. They’re a darker green on the other ship, but here, they look brighter, more like a light hazel to us.”

“They remind me of the stars around us,” he offered. If he had a very wide range of color perceptions, he could offer his own experiences if it would assist with finding a name.

Samuel made a soft noise of interest. “Hoku?” he offered.

“ _Yes_ ,” Twenty-Three-Three said, her eyes fluttering. “What is the meaning?”

“Star,” Samuel answered with a smile.

“You were correct, it is a… feeling of deep certainty,” she said to Amber, looking surprised at her own wonderment. “I have never experienced that before.”

Amber nodded knowingly. “Learn to recognize that feeling and give it attentiveness,” Amber replied. “It will serve you well in the future.”

He sat, quiet and still, wondering when he would experience that feeling of certainty as the others began to pick names.

Two was gifted with Yunho, and he felt such _elation_ for him.

Five-Two finally spoke clearly when he heard Teo. His sister became Liliana nearly instantly after that.

Twenty-Three-Two found his name in Ikaika, and since Samuel had spoken both his and Hoku’s names, Twenty-Three-One asked Samuel specifically for assistance in finding her name, stating that all three of them were siblings and they wanted their names to reflect that.

Fifteen-One was named Mei, her sister picking Na as soon as it fell from Zhou Mi’s lips. After some thinking on Samuel’s part, Twenty-Three-One became Kanani.

He grimaced as name after name came, and he still could not find anything that fit. “I am not trying to be obstinate,” he muttered, looking down at his knees. He knew others were becoming frustrated.

“We are aware of that,” Song Qian said, stroking his shoulder softly.

“Before we give up for the moment, if common names aren’t working, how about some of the more unusual ones?” Seungchul asked. He brought his head up quickly, a weird smile taking residence on his lips as the absurdity of his hair growing white occurred to him.

“Something unusual to fit with the unusual color my hair is growing,” he said softly. As everyone had retreated into their own minds, his voice was still clearly heard.

Song Qian leaned towards him, making an inquiring noise.

“It appears to be growing white all over,” he told her, feeling shy. He truly did not want to appear elderly before he had even come of a legal age, even if the color was because of the treatments.

“The growth is still small, and as it is occurring over your entire scalp, it is most likely a result of the treatments,” Amber told him. “Though neither Twin nor I experienced that, it is possible that the treatments are reacting slightly differently to you.”

Seungchul blew out a quick breath in amusement. “Well, that’ll definitely made you the center of attention wherever you go.”

His eyebrows raised a little. He could recognize the soft teasing and hearing the others getting names, he felt a bit more confidence in returning it. “Not something I had eagerly sought out before, but the idea of being the center of the world has appeal,” he said, his voice jokingly flat.

Seungchul’s head twisted upwards as he blinked for a moment, and he assumed it was normal the way none of the other adults were reacting, his fingers lightly twitching as if drawing something. “Well… if you want to be at the center of the world, then how about Hongjoong?”

He felt like something had hit him, his entire being almost ringing like someone had struck a metal object to make a sound. The name settled on him like a comforting cover, but it also felt more than that. There was that certainty within him that the correct name for him had been spoken. It pierced into him, remaking and reforming his entire being like a planet being shattered and then brought back together. That feeling had to be what everyone else had experienced before him, and what Donghae and Amber had spoken of.

His name was _Hongjoong_. He was no longer a numbered tribute; he had a name.

“Yes,” he found himself saying as his eyes closed. “That one.”

“That is fitting,” Zhou Mi said.

Opening his eyes, he wondered if the others felt like they were also looking at a new world. He knew Two – Yunho – felt elation at him finding his name beside him, and the sighs of relief from everyone also felt like a relief to him. He still felt like he was slightly floating, settling back into himself.

“What is our next destination, Twin?” Donghae asked Amber, his fingers tangled with Hyukjae’s.

Amber pursed her lips for a second. “Shingla Station in the Taigu system. We have one _farn_ to complete the run, meeting with Cheng Bao at Panda.”

There were amused snorts from the ones from Earth, but he did not know at what had amused them.

“My House has a brothel on Bai, which is near Taigu,” Song Qian said. “We should place the other children there before we arrive at the station, and while we are there, Zhou Mi may send his messages.”

Amber nodded. “Agreed.”

“Sounds good,” Hyukjae replied in agreement. “Though before we leave, I’ll get Mark on a contact to see if he can meet us there or somewhere else and bring Chan with him to get those medical logs cracked open for you.”

“Is that secure?” Admiral Thorn asked with a concerned frown, leaning forward onto his walking assistance.

Hyukjae nodded. “Secure enough. Contacts use different means than messages do, and since nothing repeats, it’s a lot harder to code break into a contact. We’ve also worked with Mark before.”

Admiral Thorn nodded, his concern falling away.

“Are the medical logs important?” Mei asked, her voice softly curious.

Song Qian nodded, followed quickly by Doctor Zoe. “We believe that the treatments are set in an order, and we will not risk your health by applying one out of sequence. When Doctor Zoe and I are satisfied with the knowledge in the medical logs, we can begin the treatments then. While we are awaiting that, I will take you down to the crew area and begin the education you would receive in the brothel.” Song Qian paused, shaking her head with a scowl. “There is no reason you nine should not also have the benefit of a brothel education simply because you must complete your treatments.”

Hongjoong felt elated, his desire for knowledge igniting within. He had a name, he would be getting an education, and though the treatments still loomed in front of them, he felt… more in control of them. Instead of the resignation of others using his body and his life for themselves, the choice if he wished to complete the treatments or not made it seem less like something that was being done _to_ him. The twins did not seem to be adversely affected by the treatments, and even though Zhou Mi had the capability to order them all around, he seemed determined to not use it.

“How long is it to Taigu?” Hyukjae asked, bringing him out of his mind for a second.

“From Ba-sing, Taigu is approximately one standard away, but it will be a bit longer as we need to stop at Bai,” Zhou Mi said. “Perhaps two standards before we arrive.”

Hyukjae nodded, gifting Donghae with a kiss to his cheek before standing. “I’ll head down to the communication room and contact Mark and see where or if he can meet us.”

“We will pause at the station so as to ensure that we are properly rested. Even if he is unable to arrive immediately, we will be there for at least three standards,” Donghae added.

“I’m going to go now, I’ll let you know when I’m done,” Hyukjae said, waving.

Song Qian likewise stood. “Children, let us go to the crew area where I may begin your education.”

Hongjoong felt like he couldn’t stand up fast enough, dragging Yunho with him.

Full bellies, clean bodies, new clothes, names, _and_ an education? If he was experiencing a dream, he never wanted to wake from it.


	6. 친구 (Thank U)

“Of all the damn times a station wants to use a scanner, of course they would choose _now_ ,” Hyukjae complained as he walked into the crew area.

Hongjoong looked up from his reader curiously as others also gathered into the crew area.

“What has occurred?” Song Qian asked from where she was assisting Teo.

“The station’s upgraded their security system and is using a gene scanner to check for briefs so we can’t leave the ship.” Hyukjae sighed as he sat down in a chair, looking upset. “They must have had trouble with pirates lately.”

“Well, Samuel and I can arrange the transfer since we’ve had some practice at it,” Alex said.

“It’s more meeting up with Mark that’s making me stress out. He knows us on sight, and I don’t want to risk sending a contact through the station – which everything now has to go through the station to hit the network,” Hyukjae replied, but looking as if he was directing the last part of his statement towards Samuel, who was looking curious. “I don’t want to risk any contact being recorded by the station.”

“Would Mark have any issues getting onto the station?” Alex asked as she tugged on a lock of hair.

“Oh hell no,” Hyukjae replied with a laugh as Donghae wrapped his arms around his spouse’s shoulders. “Mark literally has one of the best code breakers and slicers in the entire Empire in his crew. Their records are spotless if they exist at all, so they can get onto the station no problem. He knows what our ship ID is, but he’ll have to be escorted into the docking berth.”

“Would you agree to my assistance?” Hongjoong offered, immediately gaining the attention of everyone. Though it was still uncomfortable, and he wanted to shrink away from it, he kept his head up and body still. It would most likely take him some time to not feel the discomfort, he had been told, and he could see the logic of that. “I was often used as a messenger, so I am accustomed to locating people in busy locations.”

“If you are willing to perform that function, it would assist us,” Donghae replied before anyone else could. “You will be well with the crowding?”

He lifted his eyebrows. “How many rings is this station?”

“Only one.”

He snorted softly. “If was able to navigate Qinyan’s markets with only minimal difficulties, I will not encounter issues with a one ring station.”

“Wouldn’t Zhou Li have your DNA – er, genes on record?” Alex asked, glancing around the table.

He nodded. “He would, but it is doubtful enough time has elapsed for him to be informed we are no longer his,” he said, flicking his fingers to encompass the other children. “With our treatments going into modifications, he would have posted briefs to have us returned to him promptly and it would only be then that our genes would risk being recorded and forwarded to him. I assume that since Hyukjae has not had overt objections, there are no briefs?”

Hyukjae looked at him in shock with an opened mouth, but then nodded. “You are absolutely terrifying from pulling things together this fast,” Hyukjae told him with a smile. “I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re going to be like in a _li fan_.”

“That is because he thinks too much and does not sleep,” Yunho said, his lips tilted up the slightest bit as he kept his gaze on his own reader. Hongjoong shot him a mildly grumpy look even as his cheeks heated from the praise.

Hyukjae laughed shortly. “Well, you’re right. There are no new briefs from Zhou Li, just the old ones for the twins and Zhou Mi. You’re good for right now.”

Hongjoong nodded once. “All I will require is a description of your contact. If items that were not available on Qinyan are still needed, I am willing to search for those at the same time.”

“Well, if he wants to help, I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth,” Alex replied with a shrug.

“A what?” Hoku asked, wide-eyed.

“Oh, it’s a saying about not inspecting gifts and offers too closely for flaws,” Alex explained. “My only concern is that technically, you’re still a minor.”

He shrugged in return. “I am nearly of a legal age and I offer my assistance freely.”

“If there is some available, I would like to purchase or barter for more pain medicines,” Song Qian said. “I do not know if a station this small would have some available for trade, but I would like additional rations to ensure your comfort after the treatments.”

He nodded. “I will inquire about that for you. Is it known when your contact will arrive?”

“He just goes by Mark with no other title, and you can use his name freely,” Hyukjae corrected. “I’m assuming that he’s coming in from Gahse, so he should be arriving soon, if he’s not already here. He’s as tall as I am, if not a little taller, and he’s got a very thin body type. He has dark hair that is kept short and parted to one side. I hope he’s bringing Chan with him because he has a muscular body and a slightly larger nose which makes him much easier to identify.”

“Will I need some identification from you?” he asked with a nod, building a mental picture of the two men.

“Yes, that would be a wise thing to have in case of doubts,” Amber said as she walked into the crew area. “Though we do not have many items that would be identifiable as ours.”

“I know of something,” Zhou Mi replied, still at the doorway of the crew area. “I will return.”

Hongjoong wondered what Zhou Mi had gone to retrieve, but he twisted his hair up and pulled it into a knot to keep it off his face.

“Anything we need to be aware of while on the station?” Samuel asked, tilting his head slightly.

“You will need to be slightly cautious of others,” Donghae advised. “Many pirate crews will have informants on stations such as these to seek out new targets and opportunities, and since this station is using a brief scanner, that is a more likely possibility. No weapons will be allowed within the ring itself, so you are unlikely to be attacked directly, and you will not want to display your markings as it will cause the station’s protective services to scrutinize you.”

Samuel nodded in acknowledgement.

“The vendor will be in Section Five, Store Twelve,” Amber added. “You have the hairpins?”

Alex nodded. “Are we going to need face masks?” she asked.

“Not for any station, as they will have purifiers in the life support systems to remove anything harmful in the air, and there will be light purifiers to walk through as you enter into the ring,” Song Qian answered.

“I have a question about the gene scanner thing – why weren’t they using something like that on Qinyan?” Alex asked, gathering her hair.

“It’s a very intensive process on the beacons, and only one on one or two ring stations if they’ve recently had trouble. Anything larger than a two ring, the network and beacon would be overloaded and not work,” Hyukjae swiftly explained. Hongjoong noted that bit of information. He had known of the gene scanners, but not the reasons behind why they were not used frequently.

“The beacons are also used as navigational locations, so to have one become non-functional poses the risk of ships becoming lost and unable to find their way to that beacon, or they could arrive too close to the star or a planet, or even inside those objects,” Amber added.

Alex grimaced, shuddering a little, putting a light blue – he was so grateful he now had a word for that color – hairpin into her hair. “Got it.”

“Here,” Zhou Mi said as he returned into the crew area. Hongjoong’s eyes widened when he saw what Zhou Mi was holding out to him.

Zhou Mi looked a bit amused. “Mark knows of me, and he will easily recognize the clan signature. It will provide a solid means of identification to him to assure that you are with us as there are very few people who would be in possession this.”

He nodded, gently lifting the stylized hairpin out of Zhou Mi’s outstretched hand. “I will ensure its safety,” he promised as he fit it into his pocket.

“My thanks,” Zhou Mi said with a smile.

“We will go and return quickly,” he said, nodding to all in the crew area.

“We will greet your return with joy,” several people chorused together.

He sent Yunho a reassuring look before turning and walking out of the crew area. Alex and Samuel joined him at the lift.

“You sure you’re going to be okay?” Samuel asked.

He nodded, unable to be irritated at the continued question. There was something _protective_ held in the deep voice, and he knew Samuel only held concern for his well-being. “I will be well, as I am beyond most of the hormonal influences of my Time of Change and I do not experience many of the same impulses the others do,” he assured as they stepped onto the lift.

He searched for the correct words inside his own mind for a moment as it still looked as if Samuel was not entirely convinced. “I am nearly thirty-nine cycles, almost of a legal age, and I am uncertain if I would be able to be accepted into a household as a ward because of that,” he explained. “I must accomplish being noticed and viewed as a freed person with those who are unaware that I was tribute, as it is a possible outcome that I will need to survive on my own.”

Alex was nodding along. “I’m sure they’ll find a way to keep you on the ship if you aren’t able to go somewhere,” she said. “But we can only know that with time,” she continued, her voice dropping into the standard cadence of words as they neared the docking location. “What is the significance of that hairpin?”

“It is the clan signature of the Zhou clan, and something only worn by patriarchs and their heirs,” he told her quickly before the docking door was opened.

She nodded, her eyes fluttering for a moment as she shifted her posture a bit.

Hongjoong felt as though he was looking at a completely different person in the space of three breaths.

“Identify yourself and step forward to be scanned at the docking pad.”

“I am Captain Oshrin Amaka of the _Andante_ ,” Alex said clearly into the empty docking connection. “My first mate, Tanaka La’a, and… my communications expert, Kim Hongjoong.”

He kept his face neutral even though he was burning with questions. Alex waved a couple of fingers at him, indicating he should go first. He nodded, remembering that both of them were from outside of the Empire and looked to him to demonstrate what was required of them. Stepping through the purifying light, he pressed his palm against the scanner and waited for it to beep, indicating that he had no active briefs. Samuel and then Alex – First Mate Tanaka and Captain Oshrin, he reminded himself – following his example.

Once they had all been acknowledged as having no active briefs, the docking door opened into the berth. Passing under another light purifier that he could now recognize has having a slight purple color, he led the way through the empty berth and towards the ring. Unsurprisingly, the station’s protective services halted them to scan for any weaponry before they could enter into the ring.

He automatically looked up as he entered the ring, orienting himself. After the markets of Qinyan, this station seemed deserted and quiet, but it still had many people moving through it.

“Section Three, Berth Five,” he murmured to himself.

“Which way?” First Mate Tanaka asked quietly.

He pointed to the right.

“We are in Section Three right now,” he explained as they walked through the slightly busy ring. “The ship is located at Berth Five. I may need to circle the ring multiple times to find Mark, and as long as you of the location of the ship, you will be able to return to it without assistance. I will accompany you for as long as I possibly can,” he assured them both.

“Where would the medicines be sold at?” Captain Oshrin asked quietly, her dark eyes cautious as they looked around.

“Section Eight, where many station officials will conduct their work,” he answered as softly as he could. He was finding it a bit difficult to not drop his gaze and seek to blend into being unnoticed, but he _had_ to accomplish that task for his own comfort. He wondered if it would become easier over time or if he would have to constantly struggle against it.

“Are all stations arranged similarly?” First Mate Tanaka inquired.

“Many, yes. It…” he trailed off as a feeling prompted him to look towards his left. A man, much shorter than what Hyukjae had indicated Mark or his associate would be, was staring at them. Frowning, he narrowed his eyes and stopped walking.

The man hurriedly shifted his gaze when he noticed Hongjoong’s attention on him.

He resumed walking, easily rejoining the others.

“That was?”

“Uncertain, but it was a… feeling that demanded attentiveness. It is possible he is an informant or infiltrator,” he explained to Captain Oshrin.

“Twin thing, most likely,” First Mate Tanaka added. Captain Oshrin made a noise of understanding. It took him a few steps more to connect the term _twin thing_ with Donghae and Amber and the modifications that he had also been given. Accepting that it was plausible reason for the strong feeling, he wondered how to react appropriately to any further of those internal promptings. He would inquire with Donghae and Amber at a later time.

Passing through Section Four without incident, they arrived at the vendor’s store in Section Five.

“My greetings to you,” the vendor said smoothly. “What business may we conduct profitably?”

Hongjoong felt as though the vendor had dipped his words in something slick and oily and forced his face into neutrality. He did not need the modifications to know that this vendor was not to be trusted.

“I am retrieving cargo under contract,” Captain Oshrin replied, pulling out the small bag of hairpins and holding them up.

The vendor reached around, grabbing a small scanner from behind him. Hongjoong had to force down the urge to knock it away and his breath came out sharply through his nose. Reaching out, he lightly touched Captain Oshrin’s elbow to get her attention.

“Do not let him touch your skin with the scanner,” he whispered to her. First Mate Tanaka stepped slightly forward, looking far more imposing than he had as soon as Hongjoong had finished his words.

The vendor kept his own expression neutral, and Hongjoong met his gaze evenly when he was looked at. The vendor stepped forward, passing the scanner over the jewels of the hairpins under watchful gazes.

“Ah, I see. If you will acknowledge receipt of the goods and inform me of your berth?”

“Once the goods have been transferred, we will gladly acknowledge the receipt with the station’s transfer scan,” Hongjoong said, curling his hand into a fist behind his back. The vendor’s glare was heavy and he felt close to buckling under it. But he knew what this vendor was attempting to achieve, and Hyukjae’s words about protecting the people from his world from being discovered were still clear in his mind.

Captain Oshrin said nothing, simply raising an eyebrow at the vendor.

“Your crew –“

“Is doing precisely what I have hired him to do,” Captain Oshrin interrupted, her firm tone not allowing the vendor to argue. “You may have the cargo delivered to Section Three, Berth Five promptly. May your business be profitable,” she said, putting the hairpins back into the pouch.

The vendor did not look pleased, but he nodded briefly. “My hope for yours as well.”

Quickly exiting the store, Hongjoong waited until they were an appropriate distance away before he asked for a moment, slipping into the shadows of a brief hallway. Leaning heavily against the wall, he braced his hands on his thighs, his nervousness sending twitches and shudders through his body.

“You okay?”

He nodded. “I will be well in a moment,” he said, trying to slow his breathing.

“Is it okay if I touch your hands?”

He took a second but nodded finally. His hands were gently lifted off his legs, supporting his weight. He looked up, meeting Captain Oshrin’s dark eyes.

“Just take a deep breath in with me,” she said, breathing in deeply and slowly exhaling. He finally felt his breathing slow down into a normal rate and his shaking subsided, leaving him feeling slightly hollowed out.

“Do you get panic attacks like that a lot?” she asked softly, rubbing the backs of his hands softly. First Mate Tanaka was blocking them both from view with his large body. “It’s okay if you do,” she rushed to assure him.

“Sometimes,” he admitted. “I was unprepared to meet that type of person so quickly.”

“What was he going to do with the scanner?”

“He…” he paused as another shudder went through him. “It is something that I observed… before, with the previous captain,” he tried to explain. “It is possible to record genes with that type of scanner to… look for… secrets?” he said, hesitatingly and unsure if that was the correct phrase.

“Sounds like _extortion_?” First Mate Tanaka added quietly.

“Secrets that he could profit from?” Captain Oshrin translated to him.

He nodded quickly. “Your genes are unlike ours and the brief scanner does not record them for further use, only using them to check for available briefs,” he explained, his words almost blending together. “But if someone like that were to record your genes, it would be possible for them to understand your genetic differences. Hyukjae has indicated that your world is large with a sizeable population and many resources. With the Mandate moving, it would be possible for someone to capture you in an attempt to locate your world as it could elevate someone to founding a new dynasty,” he explained. “People such as that also will also use genes as a means to trap others into slavery or tribute or will seek out opportunities to return those released from servitude to their previous owners for profitability.”

Captain Oshrin squeezed his hands in a comforting gesture. “Thank you so much,” she whispered to him. “We would have had no idea that would be possible or what dangers there could have been.”

“Do you want to go back to the ship?” First Mate Tanaka offered.

He shook his head. “I will still need to locate Mark and any associates he has brough with him. It was a momentary fright as I was not expecting to encounter that so soon after my release and resisting the urges to return to… my previous ways of thought when I knew that the vendor was angry and resentful towards me was difficult to experience at the same time.”

“And you not only survived it, but you got us through it as well,” Captain Oshrin praised.

His shoulders relaxed, a tiny smile appearing on his lips. He _had_ done well, he told himself. It was just a moment of fear, but he had not only made his way through it, but he had also helped others navigate a treacherous situation. “You will need to return to the ship quickly to receive the delivery of goods,” he told her. “I will return to there as soon as I have completed locating Mark and inquiring about pain medicines.”

“Alex, why don’t you go on back to the ship? I’ll stick with Hongjoong in case anyone else feels like starting some trouble and since everyone else will be there, they can help out with the transfer.”

She sighed a little. “All right. Be careful both of you,” she warned.

Hongjoong nodded. “We will practice caution.”

With a last squeeze to Hongjoong’s hand, she smoothly stepped out of the hallway, her confident steps carrying her away.

“We should wait for a minute or two,” First Mate Tanaka told him quietly. “Just to make sure no one will notice us.”

He easily saw the wisdom of a brief wait and nodded. “What is the meaning of the name you are using?” he asked quietly.

“La’akea is something like _sacred light_ or _sacred things of day_. Tanaka is my mother’s… uh… clan name. La’akea is my middle name, something like a secondary name that some of us have back home, and it got trimmed down to La’a while we were having to make things up right at the moment.”

Hongjoong huffed a small laugh at the rueful look.

“All right, we can probably go now. Which way to Section Eight?”

“We will need to continue the same direction as we have traveled so far,” he instructed First Mate Tanaka. Walking with purpose through the ring, Hongjoong found it a bit easier to keep his head up. He did not know if it was confidence borne from survival or from panic, but he would hold onto it to accomplish his tasks.

Once in Section Eight, he quickly located the correct station and stepped up to the projection.

“State your business or issue.”

“I am inquiring on behalf of my ship’s healer if there are pain medicines available for trade,” he replied to the projection.

“A moment.”

He nodded his head shortly as the projection flickered out.

“There is a small amount available for trade.”

“The ship is willing to provide barter or market credits for the amount available,” he informed.

“State your ship identity and location.”

“We are from the _Andante_. Section Three, Berth Five.”

The person in the projection nodded. “We will contact your ship for negotiation of trade.”

He nodded sharply. “Our thanks,” he said by way of parting. Stepping back towards First Mate Tanaka, he was relieved that he did not experience the panic from before again.

“Done?”

He hummed. “They will contact the ship directly for negotiations for the amount available.”

“Now what?”

“Let us continue to walk until we have located Mark as he will need to be escorted into the ship’s berth area.”

Since the station was small, they had walked the entire ring nearly twice when he began to experience a brief uneasy sensation. Glancing around occasionally, he was becoming perturbed as they completed the second circuit of the ring.

“We started being followed in Section Six,” First Mate Tanaka told him as he caught Hongjoong’s concerned looks around.

“Ah,” he replied, putting his hands into his pockets. He traced the stylized hairpin with the tips of his fingers. “Please continue on a short way so that I may observe if this is the person we are to meet with,” he said, pulling himself out of the flow of the light foot traffic. First Mate Tanaka shot him a worried look but kept walking.

Glancing back the way that they had come, he saw a small crowd of people moving together, but one man followed slightly behind, dressed in simple ship’s clothing. There was nothing remarkable in the way he moved, or the way he looked aside his hair parted off to the side. The man met Hongjoong’s eyes, and seeing that he was alone, he diverted himself out of the crowd.

As he neared, Hongjoong noticed the thinner face that was clouded with suspicion.

He started badly when he felt the tip of something sharp press slightly into his side.

“What business do you have of knowing that ship identity?” a dark but very feminine voice growled from behind him, a hand twisting his shirt to keep him in place.

“You _will_ want to let go of him,” First Mate Tanaka rumbled, looking ready to jump to his defense as another man melted out of the shadows near him. With one quick look, he noted the strong and muscular body and a slightly large nose.

“A moment,” he finally forced out of his throat before anyone could begin reacting. He did not want to risk turning, so he looked at the man with the thin face. “You are Mark and Chan?” he asked neutrally.

A brief look of surprise and suspicion between the two answered that question.

“Your companion is known to you?” he followed up.

Mark nodded once; his eyebrows pulled together. He looked suspicious, but thoughtful.

“We are guests of the _Andante_ , and we have been sent to escort you back to the ship. It was not the wish of those you know, but circumstances have necessitated this means of contact.” He glanced slightly over his shoulder. “If you will remove that object from my side, I have identification that will assure you of the truth of my words.”

His clothing was released and once the sharp pressure was gone, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the hairpin, keeping it mostly hidden within his hand.

Mark looked down at the hairpin, his eyebrows arching before flickering back up to look at Hongjoong. “You speak truthfully. I know he would not unwillingly part with such an object. Apologies for the rough treatment, we were unaware they had accepted guests to meet us.”

He nodded in acknowledgement as he put the hairpin back in his pocket. “We will escort you to the ship. Follow us, please.”

Walking back through the ring in silence, he kept his hands in his pockets. He would be extremely glad to be able to sink back into Yunho’s comfort, a dull ache beginning in his head and his fear reflexes being sharpened.

“You okay?” First Mate Tanaka asked quietly.

He nodded. “I am well and uninjured… but I will be relieved to return to the ship,” he admitted.

Locating Berth Five was a _relief_ , but he would need to demonstrate how to escort others onto the ship.

“State your business,” the station’s protective guard said as he stepped forward.

“First Mate Tanaka and Kim Hongjoong returning with three guests of the captain,” he replied smoothly.

The guard nodded, allowing them into the secured berth area, and it was a simple matter to contact the docking port to let them back onto the ship. He sincerely hoped that Alex had not encountered issues upon her return, having completely forgotten to explain the steps to reboard the ship in the midst of his fear.

He was surprised to see Hyukjae waiting for their return, but even more surprised when Hyukjae pulled him close, bumping his forehead against Hongjoong’s and letting them both breathe for a moment. “You did well,” he praised. “Thank you for protecting them.”

Hongjoong felt his face heat, but he nodded. “I will return to the others in the crew area,” he said, feeling his nerves beginning to settle as he had the reassurance of being in a safe location.

“Everyone went upstairs to the officer level for some free time while we have our meeting,” Hyukjae told him and Samuel. “Amber asked if you could head down to the cargo hold to help accept in the transfer,” he added, directing the comment towards Samuel.

Hongjoong smiled softly. “I will need to return this hairpin to Zhou Mi and obtain my reader before I join the others.”

Hyukjae nodded. “Sure, come on up. So, who did you bring with you besides Chan?” he asked as they walked down the hallway in one direction as Samuel headed in the other towards the secondary lift.

Hongjoong turned his head briefly. A young woman was following Mark closely, her face composed and calm and her hair messily pulled up on top of her head.

“My ward daughter, Dong,” Mark introduced as Hongjoong called the lift. “She came to us four cycles ago and has learned well from Chan.”

Dong dropped her head in a brief bow, her lips tilting upwards.

Hyukjae’s eyebrows pulled up in surprise. “You both should be able to have some fun with the coded logs we need opened.”

Hongjoong walked out of the lift first and walked quickly to the crew area. “They have been gathered,” he told Zhou Mi as he handed the stylized hairpin back, grabbing his reader as soon as his hands were free.

“Thank you, you have done well,” Zhou Mi praised.

Hongjoong dipped his head slightly as his face flushed, passing by Song Qian, who was picking up a large reader, and passed back by Hyukjae and Mark in the hallway. He only began to relax as the lift doors closed, whisking him upwards towards the officer level. He _had_ done well, he told himself as the lift doors opened back up.

“Welcome back,” Kang Deokbon greeted with a smile as soon as he had walked into the training area. He noticed all of the others slightly further back in the training room, raptly observing something Seungchul was demonstrating.

“My thanks to you,” he quietly said as he sat down on a sleeping pad, a residual twitch of nervousness jerking his arm. Closing his eyes, he breathed in deeply and slowly exhaled to try and calm his insides. He appreciated the slight noise and the _presence_ he could feel around him. He needed to be calm before he could begin to concentrate on any training.

“Are you okay?” the gruff, but kind voice of the admiral asked after he had felt his shoulders relax.

He hummed, opening his eyes. “I will be well,” he assured with a slight smile.

“Hongjoong?” Yunho asked softly, bringing his attention upwards. “Let me show you to where we may sleep quickly before we return for training.”

Hongjoong made an agreeing noise, standing up. “We will return promptly,” he told the adults, getting a sharp nod in return from the admiral.

“You are well?” Yunho whispered to him as they waited on the lift and threading their fingers together.

Hongjoong sighed. “I will be,” he admitted. “You recall some of the schemes of the captain where he would have us gather and record genes?”

Yunho nodded as they boarded the lift.

“The vendor that had been contracted was about to do the same to those from Earth. It was _extremely_ difficult to not revert to our previous status’ ways of behaving when I knew that the vendor was angry and resentful towards me. But we were able to navigate that difficulty,” he assured as Yunho led him down the hallway. “I am simply still experiencing some of that stress, but I will be well.”

Yunho made a familiar, slightly distressed sound as he squeezed Hongjoong’s hand. “Here, this is our room to use,” he said. “Would you like to stay here for a moment?”

Hongjoong hesitated but finally nodded. “Can you stay with me?” he asked softly.

Yunho pulled him close and wrapped him in strong arms. “I will not leave you,” he swore, pulling Hongjoong’s face up to press their lips together.

Hongjoong’s eyes fluttered shut, taking solace and comfort from Yunho’s larger body, and his mind began to settle the more their lips stayed in contact. He sighed softly, his lips slightly parting against Yunho’s as they stayed there for a few long moments, giving and receiving comfort. Yunho smoothed the last of his twitches out of his body and that allowed him to feel stronger and calmer about his experience.

He hummed as contentment filled him, and they finally drew back from each other, but only enough to break their lips apart. Yunho still kept his arms around Hongjoong, making him feel safe and fully protected. “My thanks,” he whispered as he set his head against Yunho’s chest.

Yunho didn’t answer, but Hongjoong did not require one, knowing Yunho’s mind almost as well as his own.

“Let us return to the others,” Yunho finally told him.

He nodded, finally feeling as though he could reintegrate himself into the group without concerns. Quickly memorizing where their quarters were in the context of the hallway, he let Yunho lead him back to the lift and back to the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> p.s. stan talent, stan ateez's cousin group, stan dreamcatcher lol (can we tell the author is very happy to have Handong back for some ot7 off the wall chaos? yes, yes I am.)


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